Tender Sea
by Strange Obsession
Summary: REWRITTEN look for Revamp. Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki grew up to become one of the strongest Kunoichi that had ever existed. Recently married and close to achieving her lifelong ambition everything is ripped from her grasp. Friends have fallen and the Elemental Nations is no more. She chooses to abandon her identity and go back to fix it all. Time-travel!, Fem!Naru, Kaka!Naru.
1. Epilogue to the Beginning

**A/N:** Hello fellow fanfictioneers!

This is going to be one of those 'Travels Back in Time to Change it for the Better' stories mixed with the 'Female Naruto' ones. This here is the prologue and I will apologize in advance in making for so long. I was digging around in my folders and found this fic tucked away, full of bad grammar. I've cleaned it up as best I could and figured I should post it.

I have roughly 60,000 words so far but it isn't finished so I hope having to update it weekly will be my motivation to continue.

There are a couple of differences that I will be making to the plot that I prefer;

1. (**'****Spoiler' **I'll try and make this cryptic so I don't spoil if for Naruto fans). Uh... Tobi will be the primary antagonist who has some bad blood with the Uchiha clan yet recognizes the power of the Sharingan and eventually harnesses it to preform HIS 'Eye of the Moon Plan'.

2. Naruto arrives in the past after Obito's death, (precisely when Team Minato are on the way back from the mission). Thus Kakashi goes though the same canon event due to his DECEASED friend who will in no way be resurrected afterwards.

3. I don't know what the pairing will become and I'll put a poll up later when I work out how. It can be more than one person, or even a harem if you want. It would probably be fun to write. Pairing will be hetero since for the sake of this story but I have nothing against Yaoi or Yuri (*cough*closet fujoshi*cough).

4. Lastly, there will be another vote whether or not you want a certain Uchiha founder to be alive. This will of course affect the story line but he will not be antagonistic. In fact, if he is alive he is also a pairing option.

Throughout the fic I will probably give you a few options to pick, if you want, but just because it has the most votes doesn't mean I'll pick it. I'm not trying to make them useless think about it this way. Voting count for 95% of the decision. An example could if I get 7 votes that she should be paired with Itachi and 8 votes that she should be with Kakashi, I might pick Itachi since he was a close second (Truthfully I don't mind either one so here Kakashi would actually win). This also works for draws as well where I'll pick the one which would be more fun to write. Unless of course you want her with two, or three people or if she gets a harem~

5. I'm adding another point. The harem option will not be ridiculously big. Maybe around 4-5, 6 if you really, really want.

Um... I think that's it but if I remember something it will posted at the start of the next chapter.

**Disclaimer?** I don't own anything except my lovely ideas. Naruto doesn't belong to me.

Please read and enjoy~

* * *

**~Prologue**

**-October 10****th**** – 7****th**** anniversary of Kyuubi no Yoko's defeat. Naru aged 7-**

Joyous laughter could be heard all around. Konoha was celebrating the defeat of the Kyuubi. Its streets were full of citizens and shinobi alike, enjoying the festivities. It was easy to say nearly everyone was enjoying themselves.

Except for one Uzumaki Naruto, or Naru as she would rather be known as.

_Faster! Faster I have to keep running, _thought a young Naru as she ran through Konoha's alleyways. Behind her, chasing after her, was a crowd of angry people. They shouted harsh insults as followed Naru, slowly gaining on her. Her muscles burned and she could barely breathe, yet she kept running. She turned sharply into a corner hoping to lose the mob. "Shit! Dead end." The blonde girl swore as she desperately looked for an escape,

"There it is, the demon!" Said a torch-carrying, middle-aged man. The crowd approached her, slowly cornering Naru. She whimpered as her back hit the wall. A kunai flew past grazing her cheek and imbedding itself in the wall next to her, and all hell broke loose. Within seconds Naru had been pinned to the floor whilst others took turns hurting her. Kunai's, shuriken, knives, torches, bits of broken glass, sticks found on the ground. Naru went through the constant suffering of cuts, stabs burns and harsh blows. Each time she cried out which only seemed to please to drunken villagers more.

"Why are you hurting me?" She cried after a particularly painful cut across her abdomen.

"Shut up demon! You murdered my family!" Shouted a man, backhanding her across the face.

"And mine!" Called another.

"You murdered my sister!"

"I don't remember any of that!" Naru yelled, "I didn't do it!"

"You filth! You can't even remember the lives you took?" Someone screamed at her. Naru Just curled into a ball, covering her face with her hands in an attempt to block it all out. After a few hard kicks to her stomach she could feel herself losing consciousness. _I didn't do it…_ she thought before blacking out.

"Heh, looks like the demon brat couldn't handle it." Said a civilian pleased with himself.

"Now we just need to finish it." A couple of people stepped forward from the crowd, each holding a sharp weapon. They first one brought his knife down aiming for Naru's heart only to be deflected by a shuriken.

"What do you think you're doing?" said a cold voice from behind the crowd. They all turned, surprised to see two Anbu standing behind them. One of them had a dog mask while the shorter one at his side had a weasel mask.

"As you can see Anbu-san, were taking care of the demon." Said a proud and rather confident voice. There was a soft thud as the person died, a kunai through his eye, lodged deep in his skull.

"Excuse me I think I heard incorrect," said the dog-masked Anbu who was cleaning out his ear with his pinkie, "Mind repeating that." This time the speaker was slightly afraid and less confident.

"Uhh, we were killing the de-," He didn't even finish before he was dead on the floor.

"What was that for?" Said a drunk loudly, "We're only finishing what the Fourth started."

"As far as I know," the Anbu replied raising his killing intent, "The Fourth's work is already finished, and each one of you has broken the law tonight. Weasel if you wouldn't mind." He spoke the last part to his partner who quickly shunshined to the unconscious girl before shunshining again to the hospital. "Now then, I hope you all know that what you did tonight is punishable by death." The Anbu eye-smiled at them through his mask before proceeding to 'dispose of the trash'.

He quickly burnt their remains with a fire jutsu before hurrying towards the hospital. Entering the usual room, he stared sadly at the young girl. "You can take a break Kakashi." Spoke the Sandaime Hokage from where he sat at the bedside.

"How bad was it?" Kakashi asked while he removed his mask.

"It's the worse so far. Internal damage, punctured lung, nearly all her ribs broken, her limbs broken as well, third degree burns and all of this is just the beginning. She asleep now and should wake in a few days." The old man sighed, tired and weary, "I've already sent Itachi home to his family, though he was reluctant to leave. If it's not too much trouble can I ask you to watch over her? Some of the staff here aren't very welcoming." Understanding what he meant Kakashi nodded in acceptance.

"Of course Hokaga-sama." He bowed as the Hokage left grumbling about paperwork and stupid villagers.

- - - - - _Mindscape__ - - - - - _

Drip…

drip…

drip…

"Urhg," Naru said as she finally awoke, "This is new… Did they throw me in the sewer?" Looking around she was sitting in shallow water in a very dark place. She stood up slowly, regaining her bearings. Seeing nothing else she could do, Naru decided to walk further into the cavern, hoping to find some sort of exit. It wasn't long before she came to a chamber of sorts. Naru walked around for a while, getting quite bored. So far she had found no exit and was getting quite frustrated. "Dammit, where the hell am I!" She slammed her fist on the wall which surprisingly shook.

**_"Calm down! You brat,"_** Growled a voice from the back of the room, **_"Do you want to kill us both?"_** Naru suddenly seemed to see that what she thought was the back wall was actually the bars of a cage. Feeling a presence she walked cautiously towards it.

"Who's there?" she called out, suddenly jumping back when a huge paw tried to swipe her. "Hey, what was that for?" She yelled into the darkness.

**_"Che! You weren't supposed to dodge."_** Now wary of the cage Naru made sure she was at a safe distance before asking again.

"I said, who the hell are you? And where are we?" She yelled at the ominous presence.

**_"Yeah, yeah I heard you the first time kit."_** The speaker took a step forward showing itself while Naru's eyes widened in disbelief. **_"I am the great Kyuubi no Yoko!"_**The nine-tailed fox said proudly.

"But you're dead, the Yondaime killed you!" She managed to stutter. Kyuubi just barked at this, giving Naru a good view of his sharp teeth.

**_"Dead? I think not. As you can see I am alive and kicking. It's impossible to kill one as great as I!"_** He snorted air onto her face, Which Naru found felt unexpectedly nice. **_"As for your other question, we are in your mind."_**

"My mind?" She repeated confused.

**_"Yes, after you blacked out you awoke in your subconscious. In reality though, you are still asleep." _**Naru slowly processed the information, staring at the beast to see if he was telling the truth. He was, it seemed.

"So the villagers are right? I am a demon." She spoke, looking sad until the demon fox snorted again.

**_"You? A demon? That couldn't be farther from the truth." _**He waved his tails lazily, **_"You are a mere human and your stupid Hokage chose to seal me into you. Your villagers are stupid and ignorant. They fear what they cannot comprehend."_**

"Fear? More like hate." Naru said dejectedly. _Why would the Yondaime seal the Kyuubi in me?_ She wondered.

**_"Because he is also in idiot. But he was also desperate and you humans do extreme things when you're desperate."_**

"What? How? Can you read minds?" She questioned.

**_"No, but you forget we are in your mind. Every thought you have will appear as if it were spoken." _**He smirked enjoying her helplessness. _Stupid mind_, she thought making him grin wider.

"But why did the Yondaime choose me." She probed, angry at her fate.

**_"Why else? How could he bear the guilt of letting someone else suffer? You are his one and only child, who else could he trust with this burden?"_** All of a sudden Naru couldn't breathe. _The Yondaime is my father? Then why me?_ **_"I already explained you idiotic kit, you will just not believe it. Now breathe before you hurt yourself." _**He instructed. She focused on his voice and did as she was told. Her panic slowly dropping. She took a few minutes to calm down before she spoke.

"Then to summarise," She said steadily, "You are the Kyuubi no Yoko. You attacked our village and to save it the Yondaime, who is my father, sealed you in me." The fox nodded watching the girl carefully. "So then," She paused and exhaled slowly, "What happens when I die?"

**_"I will die with you."_** The fox growled out not enjoying his current situation. "But on another note, I would like to make a deal with you." Naru looked at him warily.

"What kind of deal?"

**_"An exchange of sorts," _**he began,**_ "I will teach you powerful jutsus, lend you chakra, and anything else you may need,"_** He paused letting the advantages sink in, **_"That is within reason of course."_**

"And what is the price? I get almost limitless knowledge and power, what can I do for you?" He stared at a rectangular not stuck on a bar of his cage.

**_"I would ask you to free me, but I doubt you will agree. Instead I would like you to take care of my business. As you can see I cannot leave you mind so you will take my revenge for me."_** He stated, annoyed at his inability to do anything.

"Revenge on whom?" Naru tilted her head in confusion, hopefully it wasn't someone she knew.

**_"I would like you to kill one person, though hopefully many others along the way." _**

"Who is he?" She replied not knowing anything about the person she was meant to kill.

**_"You will know when you see him."_** He ended the topic while she pondered over her options. Naru wanted to be a ninja and she knew she would have to kill sometime in the future. How much harm could one more person do?

"I accept." She said while the demon in the cage grinned wickedly.

**_"A deal is a deal. I will uphold my promise as long as you uphold yours." _**She nodded in agreement.

"But how are you going to train me?" She questioned.

**_"We can train in your mind, time tends to move slower here and I can instruct you face to face. I won't be easy on you though so prepare to face death." _**

"But how do I get back here?"

**_"You must learn to meditate, but for now you should wake."_**He explained before she was engulfed in darkness once more.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Kakashi watched as the young girl's eyes fluttered open. She was supposed to take days to wake, but in the end only took a couple of hours. _Could it be the Kyuubi's influence?_ He thought to himself, _At least the fox is good for something._

"Inu?" the girl asked as she turned to face the man at the bedside.

"Yes, but without my mask I'm just Kakashi, remember?" He lectured, "You're up earlier than expected. How do you feel?" Naru shifted her body,

"Sore." She replied looking around, "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. Your injuries were pretty bad this time but you'll be fine after some more rest." He answered.

"Are you going to stay with me?" She asked softly.

"Of course." He turned his attention back to an orange book Naru often saw him carry around. _Should I tell him about the Kyuubi?_ She wondered. **_Definitely not kit,_** a voice said in her head, **_it is a secret between you and me. I hate to say it but imagine what the villagers would do if they found out you could hear me._** Naru winced but knew he was right. For now she would keep quite. _Oh, I almost forgot,_

"Ne, ne, Kakashi," She kept on calling until he finally answered,

"What Naru?" He sighed, "Can't you just sleep like normal patients do?"

"I don't want to be normal," she said pouting, "Anyway, Kakashi, can you teach me to meditate?" Kakashi thought this over deeply. _Naru meditates, which means she's quiet, which means peace for me so… why not._

"Okay sure, I don't see a problem with that. Hrmm let's see what do you do first." He put a finger to his chin in thought, "Well generally you sit cross-legged, and for ninja's we like to keep our hands in the ram position to regulate our chakra flow. You close your eyes and calm yourself with deep regulated breaths. In doing so you try to find peace in your mind. Try not to think too much as that ruins the purpose of meditation."

"Okay Kakashi, I think I've got it." Naru sat up into position and before long she was back in her mind, surprising him as she got it down in a single try.

* * *

**-2 years later… Naru aged 9-**

Naru crouched behind a couple of food crates as ninjas ran through the streets of Konoha searching for her. Unlike some of the previous people she had run from, Naru conceded that the shinobi had every reason to chase after her. After all, she did just defile the Hokage Mountain in the form of flashy paint. The young blonde girl chuckled to herself, idly twirling her long pigtails. After all the Ninja had left her area, Naru set to relocate. She stood up and turned around colliding face first with a hard structure.

"Damn," She winced rubbing her nose, "What is a wall doing here?"

"I hardly think that I'm an inanimate object," Iruka said dryly. Naru stared shocked as she looked into the face of her academy teacher.

"Iruka-sensei!" She chirped happily.

"Don't Iruka-sensei me!" The teacher scolded, "You know very well why I'm here." Naru suddenly found the ground extremely interesting and decided it was safer to watch. Even after the Spartan training she had received from Kakashi and Itachi, no one could compare to an angry Iruka. The scared male sighed and raised a hand to his temple, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Treat me to ramen?" Naru suggested. Iruka ignored her and began dragging her towards the monument.

"Maybe after, if you clean up the monument." Iruka replied.

"Yatta!" Naru cheered.

"But no shadow clones." Iruka added causing her to groan, "If you're going to complain don't do it in the first place." The girl pouted and continued to let him drag her up the mountain. When they reached the top he dropped her onto the ground and proceeded to supervise her as she cleaned.

"Stupid paint." Naru complained finishing a fourth of her task by cleaning the Shodaime's face of swirly marks.

"I don't understand why you continue to do these pranks," Iruka told her, "In class you're such a good student."

"I'm only good in class because I think learning new things is interesting." She stood up and fixed her orange jumpsuit before continuing her task, "Pranking just comes naturally. It's what I do when I'm bored."

"You do know how important the monument is to people though," Iruka lectured, "You're bound to offend the citizens if you pull off a stunt like this." Naru shrugged,

"I don't care." She stated, taking a break from her work, "One day I'm going to be the best ninja out there, and the hokages won't be able to hold a candle to me." Iruka saw the ambition and passion in his student's eyes.

"It'll be a lot of hard work." He warned.

"I'm prepared for it!" Naru shouted to the sky, "I'll become so great that everyone will have to acknowledge me!" Iruka nodded.

"But first you have to clean up your mess." Naru protested, seeing she was only halfway done and the sun had already begun to set. "Come on," Iruka urged, "Once you're done I'll treat you to some ramen from Ichiraku's." Naru twitched as she heard his sentence and with renewed vigour, finished her task in a matter of minutes.

"Let's go!" She dragged Iruka all the way to the local ramen store rambling about what flavour's she should get.

"Hey, my wallet isn't limitless." Iruka said. Naru just gave him one of her famous grins and pulled him onto the chair beside her.

"What can I do for my favourite customers?!" Teuchi, the chef, asked in his booming voice.

"Give me 3 pork, 5 beef and 10 miso!" Naru ordered enthusiastically. Iruka sighed accepting the fact that his wallet was going to be a lot lighter after this.

"I'll just have a pork." He decided.

"Coming right up!" Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, answered from the kitchen. The two worked hard preparing the many orders of noodles.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei," Naru asked suddenly remembering something.

"Hm?" The chuunin raised a brow in question.

"How is it you always manage to find after a prank me when no one else can?" the blonde questioned.

"Oh, it's because I'm a sensor type ninja." Iruka answered, "I'm pretty good at recognizing and pinpointing individual chakra signatures, so as long as I concentrate I'll be able to find you as long as you're within 300m of me." Teuchi gave a whistle of appreciation as he handed them their food.

"I may not know a lot about you ninja," he began, "But that's quite a range you've got covered." Iruka thanked him modestly while Naru inhaled her first bowl of pork ramen.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei?" Naru asked again.

"Mmf?" Iruka turned to her and gave her the nod to continue, his mouth occupied by a large amount of noodles.

"Can you teach me to sense stuff as well?" Naru asked eagerly, having already downed her second bowl. Iruka paused in thought as he swallowed.

"I'd be happy to, but only if you pass the graduation test tomorrow with flying colours." Naru grinned.

"Then it's a promise!" Naru declared, "I'll past with a perfect score." Iruka nodded approvingly at this year's prodigy student. If she did well, Naru would be graduating three years early at the age of nine. It seemed though, to do that she would need extra energy, and Iruka could only watch as she ravenously ate bowl after bowl of her favourite noodles. Iruka held a face of fascination and slight nausea, he would never get used to young girl's apparent black hole of a stomach.

**-Next day…**

**_Kit,_** a deep voice resounded in Naru's sleepy head,**_ Wake up, kit._**

"Five more minutes." The girl rolled onto her stomach and proceeded to fall back into slumber.

**_KIT!_**

"Gah!" In surprise Naru Jumped and tumbled onto the cold floor, tangled in the mess of her blankets. "What did you do that for Kyuubi?" the young girl asked her tenant rubbing a sore spot on her head when she fell.

**_I thought I should wake you up before you overslept,_** the fox said calmly,**_ you don't want to disappoint Iruka by being late, do you?_** The demon made a valid point, she made a promise yesterday and she would do her best to uphold it.

"You right," Naru stood up and stretched her limbs, taking a glance around her messy apartment. She was only wearing an oversized white shirt over her underwear with a henohenomoheji face drawn in dark blue ink. Curiously, she looked around. Her beloved jumpsuit was nowhere to be seen. "Hey fox?" She asked aloud seeing as she was alone anyway, "Do you know where my clothes went?"

**_Clothes,_** the fox chuckled,**_ your 'clothes' are more of a monstrosity than I am._**

"Hey!" Naru cried indignantly. "Leave them alone, they never hurt you and they were extremely comfy." Naru huffed, she couldn't go to the academy in this state. She searched around her house, scavenging for some usable clothes that some people had given her, in hopes of getting rid of the jumpsuit. She found the Anbu-like pants Kakashi had given her, trying to persuade the blonde that they were just as comfortable and easy to move in as her jumpsuit. Naru hadn't believed him and thus hadn't tried, but now seemed like a good time to give it a shot. The black pants slipped on easily and left plenty of freedom for her legs. She even took the time to tape some bandages around her right thigh which would prevent her kunai holder from slipping once she attached it.

**_Now go find a top,_** Kyuubi commanded,**_ I forbid you from leaving with that horrible shirt on._** Naru looked offended and she knew her tenant was scowling at her pajamas

"What's wrong with it?" She asked quite proud of the face made out of hiragana characters. Kyuubi shivered in response, it was so… comical and… stupid. Naru sighed and took of her shirt, ready for another round of clothes hunting. Underneath her top she had a slim body and was wearing an orange sports bra. At her age she was beginning to develop into a more female body and Naru could only shudder at the size of some of the breasts she had seen. They looked backbreaking and in her line of work most likely a hindrance. Another low chucked sounded in her head and she knew the fox was laughing at her misfortune. Tucked away in a corner, Naru spotted some fishnet like material and after pulling it out, found it was a simple mesh shirt. It wasn't much of a cover-up but it would do. "Where did I get this from?" She asked shuffling through her memories.

**_You got it from the bloodthirsty, purple haired woman that's always eating those dango sticks_**, the fox answered,**_ she gave it to out of pity believing you only wore the jumpsuit out of necessity._** There was a small pause as the fox remembered something,**_ she also wanted you to look more like a female kunoichi and thought she should start changing your sense of style._**

"It's from Anko then," Naru summed up, slipping the top over her head. It was slightly too big for her slipping off one of her shoulders while it was still short enough that a strip of her skin was visible. "What else?" she was fine with her overall state of dress at the moment but felt like something was missing. "Ah!" Naru exclaimed jumping up, "I know!" She rushed over to her bed, reaching under and pulling out an average brown box. She hastily removed the lid and took out a pair of long black gloves. They were fingerless, the fabric only coming up to her second knuckle, and went all the way to her elbow. The gloves were made out of strong and durable material that, as the giver had put it was 'ninja proof'. There was a rectangular bit of metal over her knuckles and a larger piece curving slightly around her forearms for protection.

**_Hey, Kit,_** Kyuubi nudged her mind for attention,**_ are those the gloves that Weasel gave you?_**

"Yeah." Naru nodded. The weasel Anbu, who was actually Itachi Uchiha, had been one of her brief friends and teachers. Before he went missing-nin that is, and despite her childish disposition and short-attention span, the young blonde-girl knew exactly why. She sighed slipping on the gloves and adjusting them to fit her before leaving her apartment for the academy's graduation exam. Somehow though, along the way she failed to see a certain dog masked Anbu cackling over a bonfire with the remnants of her jumpsuit.

The academy was only a five minute jog away, yet because of her clothing dilemma, Naru was the last student to enter. The class she was put in was the advanced class in the academy, and all the students either ignored her of despised her.

**_It's a blow to their pride that makes them isolate you,_** the fox had explained to her once, **_it's hard not to feel anything when a small girl three years younger than you appears out of nowhere and beats you in everything._** Naru listened to his words and try to avoid antagonizing her classmates too much but some just had too much pride. Walking to her seat at the back of the class, she spotted a leg outstretched to trip her, and merely stepped over it much to her offender's chagrin. The boy had been harassing her throughout the whole year and Naru was beginning to get sick of it. When he decided to reach out and grab her, the smaller girl slapped his hand away hard and gave him an icy glare.

"Don't touch me." Naru voiced. Her classmates looked slightly shocked, she had never retaliated to any of their taunts before. Was it due to her change in outfit?

"Don't talk to Daisuke-kun like that!" One of the boy's fan girls screeched.

"Yeah!" another agreed, "And what's up with your clothes? Trying to act cool? Your lame orange jumpsuit suited you better." Naru was feeling vaguely annoyed. Daisuke merely leant back and watched the girls fight for him.

"Pathetic," Naru muttered either to the boy or towards the weak excuses of kunoichi in front of her, "What have I ever done to all of you that warranted this behaviour?" The room was silent as a few people took the time to think while the others just sneered at her words.

"Why should we answer to you?" A cocky boy with dark hair sitting in the front row replied, "You're just a no clan orphan. You'll probably die on your very first mission."

"No clan?" the fox inside her chuckled. She was told of her heritage long ago but why should she enlighten these fools. "I may not have a clan, but I can still beat all of you, whether in grade or ability." She ended the conversation there and begun walking away.

"What was that?!" One of the tormentors in her class stood. A Hyuga boy with long black hair glared at her angrily with his Byakugan activated.

"Oh, have I offended you?" Naru asked in a mocking tone, turning slowly as her sudden opponent rushed her. Those by the sidelines cheered for the boy, goading him on further. Naru raised a brow at his sloppy posture as her went in for a strike to her chest. "You have bad form," She evaded him with a smooth sidestep, "Haven't you learnt the basics?"

"Rah!" In anger the boy spun at her swinging his fists wildly. Naru merely tripped him and when he fell face first, proceeded to sit on him.

"You're from the main house right?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, so what?" The boy asked angrily as she continued to use him as furniture.

"You are weak," Naru responded, "Too arrogant for your own good and don't deserve your position there. I've seen plenty of Hyugas from the branch house who have continued to impress me time and time again. Even the ten year old boy I saw the other day, could put up a better fight than you." Before the boy could retaliate, Iruka chose this moment to enter the classroom.

"Naru!" He called in surprise, "What are you doing? Get off Seiichirou-kun right now."

"Hai, Iruka-sensei." Naru stood and walked to her table as Iruka began explaining the test.

"There will be two parts to the exam," Iruka explained, "A written section and a practical, which will consist of taijutsu, weapon throwing and basic ninjutsu." As Naru went through the entire exam she could only sum it up as easy. The written test was common knowledge and common sense. She then scored 10/10 for kunai and shuriken throwing, basically humiliated a boy in a spar, and then aced all of her ninjutsu tests. She was getting bored by the time they arrived though, and contemplated trying out her new jutsu, Orioke no jutsu. But she refrained and that was what got her a perfect score.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naru called hugging the man tightly as the other students left, her new headband tied tightly around her forehead.

"Oof," Iruka grunted at the force, "What's up Naru-chan? I thought you'd race to show Kakashi-san you headband."

"I can do it later," Naru dismissed, "But remember you promised to teach me a little about sensors!"

"Oh that's right," Iruka chuckled absentmindedly and led her to the academy's field, "You kept your promise so it would only be right for me to keep mine."

"Yatta!" Naru cheered. Iruka then spent the afternoon drilling Naru on the imperatives of chakra sensory while she attempted to practice with the teacher inside the building.

"Can you figure out where Mizuki-sensei is?" Iruka questioned.

"Ahh," Naru closed her eyes and felt around for the different chakra, "Is he in the teachers' lounge with another two teachers?"

"Correct!" Iruka clapped his hands and praised her, "You did well but I think we're going to have to end this session about now."

"Huh? Why?" Naru tilted her head in confusion.

"We have a guest." Iruka answered. Just as he finished speaking a lone Anbu jumped down from the roof in front of them.

"Inu!" Naru cheered happily running towards the masked ninja and tackling his leg.

"I'll be borrowing Naru, Iruka," The Anbu told the academy teacher unfazed by the new genin, who was slowly but surely cutting off the blood circulation in his leg, "The Hokage wishes to speak to her."

"Of course." Iruka waved them goodbye as they both disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

"Jiji!" the blue-eyed girl greeted her grandfather figure as the Anbu reappeared in the middle of the room.

"Was that really necessary, Kakashi?" Sarutobi motioned to the pile of leaves that were on the floor due to the Hatake's flashy entrance. The silver hair man nodded, taking off his Anbu mask and giving the elderly man an eye smile.

"So, what did you need from me, Jiji?" Naru asked.

"Actually I was planning on getting Kakashi to retire from Anbu about now. He's served his time well but I think it'd be best if he had a less traumatizing job."

"Huh?" Kakashi was mildly confused but Naru agreed with the village leader.

"Like leading a newly graduated genin team as their jounin commander." Sarutobi continued.

"What!" It was funny how Kakashi could voice so much disagreement and disbelief with a single word.

"And that it would be Naru's team." The girl mentioned was extremely happy with this.

"But I've decided that both of you won't be getting a genin team!" The old man said shocking both.

"What, but Jiji!" Naru shouted though Kakashi seemed relieved. The Hokage just seemed to have fun seeing their different reactions.

"Instead, Naru, you will be apprenticed to Kakashi and take missions with other teams." Hiruzen finished. Naru thought this over for a second before cheering. Kakashi also considered, concluding it was better than leading some arrogant brats. "Though, each year you'll be testing two of the leading graduates," Sarutobi added, "And if the match up to both your and Naru's standards they'll become your team."

"Agreed," Kakashi declared.

"Really!" Naru jumped for joy, "Maybe I should start calling you Kakashi-sensei then!" The masked man liked the sound of that. Really, sometimes Naru was too cute.

"And as long as I raise my standards extremely high I won't have to teach any other brats." Kakashi commented softly.

* * *

**-3 years later… Naru aged 12-**

"Kakashi-sensei." Naru snapped out of her meditation as her sensei jumped down from the tree in front of her.

"Yo." He greeted looking as lazy as always. Naru stood and dusted herself off. Her clothes hadn't changed but her appearance had by quite a bit. She had grown to a height of 146cm which was still quite short, but better than nothing. Her figure still stayed as slim as ever but her limbs and stomach were more toned, her face losing some of its baby fat. Embarrassingly though, her womanly figure had become more visible as well, her hips and waist more defined and her chest noticeably bigger but not at the size she would have to worry, she was still growing after all. She had added a belt to her attire which surprisingly, held a tanto to her side. Though she had really wanted a katana she opted for the smaller blade, seeing as Kakashi was more proficient in it and able to train her better.

"So what will we be doing today?" Naru asked.

"Well yesterday the academy held its graduation exam so we're going to pick up some newbies!" He sounded suspiciously cheerful and Naru was beginning to worry that he was enjoying crushing a student's dream too much.

"Do I have to go?" Naru complained. She had long gotten over the excitement of possibly having teammates when she had seen how weak some of them were and how high Kakashi had raised his standards, "Can't I go train with Gai-san and his team today or something?" Kakashi's visible eye twitched at the mention of his 'youthful' rival.

"No, not this time," He sighed and pulled out his porno book, "It looks like you'll actually be getting team mates."

"Are they that good?" Naru asked raising a brow.

"Haruno Sakura, excellent chakra control but small reserves. Scored a full score on the written exam, and passed as an average on the practical. Her Ninjutsu was good, but her taijutsu was below standard and her weapon accuracy isn't anything special either. Seems to have a slight obsession with your next teammate" Kakashi listed out the information, "Sasuke Uchiha,"

"Uchiha…" Naru echoed.

"The 'last' Uchiha and rookie of the year," Kakashi used the term last rather loosely, "He did slightly above average on the written exam and high to near perfect on the practical, high average on taijutsu and weapon accuracy and perfect on the basic academy jutsu. Slightly arrogant personality and bent on revenge and the restoration of his clan." Naru clenched her fist, revenge was never good.

**_Except for me,_** a certain fox piped up,**_ I deserve justice!_** Naru ignored him and slowly began dawdling with her sensei.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei," She asked looking at him innocently, "When do we have to get there by?"

"We have about two hours till the other jounins begin to arrive. So that means roughly five hours." He replied accounting for his lateness.

"Then I'm going to go check out this year's batch." The blonde disappeared in Konoha's signature shunshin reappearing in front of the door's to Iruka's classroom, just as said man was about to enter. His hand had been outstretched for the doorknob, and with Naru's sudden appearance in front of him, he had ended up in a compromising position. "Iruka-sensei, you pervert!" Naru shouted giving him a strong punch to the jaw. Inside the classroom the academy students heard the shout and had become extremely curious. Their modest teacher was a pervert?

"Naru!" Iruka cried in pain and shock, "I really didn't mean to but you just appeared out of nowhere, and right in front of me." He stared the hand he had used to accidentally grope his student, it merely sat there.

"I guess you're right, I'm sorry for punching you, it was a reflex." He winced as he stood, having more wounds added to his inventory. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Naru bowed in apology, "I forgot you would still be sore from yesterday." Eyebrows shot up inside the classroom as the graduates strained their ears though many of the girls were blushing slightly. Iruka was quite good-looking and kind as well... The boys in the room were blushing for another reason seeing as Iruka was sore but the girl wasn't.

"It's nothing I can't handle." Iruka assured her, "Yesterday night was just a bit rough on me." The words 'yesterday night' rang through the heads of his eavesdropping students.

"How do you actually feel," Naru asked concerned.

"Like I went a couple of rounds with a mountain lion." Iruka joked. By now all his students were as red as tomatoes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you clean up." Naru continued.

"It couldn't have been helped," Iruka replied, "Since you passed out from exhaustion." The students were shocked. Their kind, meek, caring teacher had actually caused the girl outside, to pass out from exhaustion? Who was she anyway? Everyone wondered what she looked like. Mundane? Flashy?

"But-" Naru didn't seem satisfied.

"No buts," Iruka said in a caring tone, "I was, and am still, fine."

"Ok." Naru conceded defeat, "By the way did you carry me back to my apartment?"

"No, that was Kakashi-san." Iruka answered while the class wondered about the new character, "He was pretty amazed that you of all people had collapsed from unconsciousness." Some girls gasped, whoever this new man was he seemed like a pretty dodgy character.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean!?" Naru said offended.

"Nothing," Iruka said, "By the way why did you come to the academy?"

"I was lonely and wanted to see you?" Naru said using her most convincing voice while the female students gushed about Iruka's possible love life. Iruka himself, being the only one able to see her expression, knew the blonde was up to something.

"What are you playing at, Naru?" Iruka asked quietly.

"I want to check out the new graduates and my possible teammates," Naru whispered back, "I'll even go under a henge." There was a quite poof of smoke and Naru transformed into an older version of herself. She looked about nineteen now and her blonde hair was done up in an elegant bun. Her body was that of a goddess, and the white yukata she wore hung off her shoulders in a lazy and sensual fashion ending mid-thigh to show off her legs. On her feet she wore high heeled open toed sandals but sadly, was still shorter than her former teacher, and around her waist was a deep blue obi tied into a fashionable bow.

"Naru!" Iruka gasped.

"How do you like it?" Naru asked cheekily, "I call it Orioke no jutsu – Yukata no Yuwaku!" Iruka blushed but coughed it away.

"Right, well I guess you can come." Iruka said talking back in normal speech volume.

"Thank you very much, Iruka-sensei," Naru said with a polite bow, slipping into her façade. Iruka opened the door and walked in while Naru waited patiently outside.

"Uh, class?" Iruka was confused as he was met with several different looks. Pretty much every graduate in the room was red faced and some were avoiding his eyes. The girls were giggling lightly and the boys stared at him with disbelief, "Well I don't understand why you're all acting so strange but I'm proud to announce you as academy graduates. Before I go on though I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." Naru was given the signal and she walked into the room confidently, ignoring the looks she got from hormonal teen boys and envious ones from the girls.

"Hello," She greeted politely, "It's nice to see Iruka's wonderful student's that he's always talking about." The scarred man blushed again but waved it away.

"Anyway, this is Naru and she'll briefly be filling in for Mizuki today." Iruka explained. Iruka shifted slightly and some of the sharper students noticed the bandages under his clothes. What exactly happened yesterday and who was this woman?

"I'll just be here to oversee your team assignments." Naru stated. She looked up and spotted a certain Hyuga heiress in the back row staring at her with wide eyes. She also found an extremely sceptical Nara and the ever-brooding Uchiha.

"Sensei!" A girl with long platinum blonde hair raised her hand.

"Yes, Ino?" Iruka prompted.

"What happened to Mizuki-sensei?" the Yamanaka asked.

"He tried to steal Konoha's forbidden scroll," Naru answered seeing Iruka struggle with what to say, "So he is in Anbu custody at the moment." The students gasped but their teacher nodded a confirmation.

"Any other question before we move onto team assignments?" He asked calmly. Nearly all the hands in the room shot up as the student began to shout the questions at him all at once.

"Are you and Naru-san going out?" Sakura asked loudly.

"What happened last night?" Inuzuka Kiba shouted with his partner Akamaru barking loudly.

"How long have you two known each other?" Choji asked politely.

"Who is Naru?" Shikamaru drawled lazily but his question seemed the most prominent, "I haven't seen her around the village before." That shut everyone right up seeing as they also couldn't recognize the blonde. Everyone looked towards their teacher expectantly as he tried to process the questions.

"What exactly do you all think is going on between Naru and I?" Iruka asked first.

"You're lovers!" The class said in unison.

"What?!" Iruka froze in shock but Naru merely chuckled.

"It wouldn't be that bad, would it?" She asked seductively as her fake persona called for it. While inside, she was actually laughing her guts out. "To be my lover that is."

"But-wha-I-" Iruka stuttered badly. Naru decided to cut him some slack.

"We aren't lovers," She told the class, "Iruka's like a brother to me." The students slowly absorbed the information.

"Then what happened last night?" Sakura asked.

"We sparred." Naru answered, leaving out the fact they came in contact with the traitorous Mizuki, and fought against him. And it was completely plausible.

"Oooh." The class said in realization.

"But that still doesn't explain why no one knows you." Shikamaru repeated.

"Wow Iruka!" Naru clapped, "You've got a sharp one there."

"I guess?" The teacher responded thinking about the lazy genius.

"Well, Nara," Naru stated, "Nobody knows me because this is a henge~." Iruka sighed and pressed a hand to his temple. Why had he agreed to her meeting his students? He secretly blamed her puppy eyes which no man could look away from.

"Henge!?" She surprised all of her peers.

"But of course," She gave the all a saucy wink causing the Hyuga in the back row to come frighteningly close to fainting, "You don't think I would actually walk around in these clothes, let alone in an academy. I'm a shinobi, not some sort of paid escort." She kept her words polite and sat in a free chair by the side of the room. "For all you know, I could be a man underneath this disguise," Most students paled at the thought, turning slightly green.

"Well then…" Iruka coughed getting the attention of his class, "I guess I'll move onto the team placements now."

"Eehhh?!" everyone seemed to have more questions about the mysterious blonde but Iruka ignored them.

"Team 1 will be…" Iruka's monotonous droning somehow made Naru insignificant to the students as they all listened carefully, "…Team 7 will be Sakura and Sasuke," The pink haired girl squealed in happiness while the Uchiha sat silently, "Your jounin leader will he Hatake Kakashi and his apprentice will fill in the third spot in your team. Team 8 will be Hinata, Kiba and Shino with Kurenai Yuuhi as leader. Team 9 will be Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji and you'll be led by Asuma Sarutobi…" Iruka finished off his announcement and looked up from the sheet he was reading off. "Are there any questions?" Sakura raised her hand. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Who is our third team member." She asked. Naru shot a look to Iruka that went unnoticed by most people except the more observant individuals, specifically a certain Nara.

"Ah, you'll meet her later." Iruka answered unsure.

"Is she strong?" Sasuke said speaking up for the first time since they had entered the classroom.

"Of course." Iruka replied rather proudly. "If that's everything, you can all go out for lunch but be back here at 1:00 to meet your jounins." Iruka left the room to continue his daily jobs leaving Naru alone with his student. At the moment she was in an intense staring contest with the Nara as he tried to decipher her.

"A henge…" He thought for a little while before his eyes lit with understanding. "Could you be-" Naru quickly covered his mouth with her hand, before he could voice one of his theories.

"Correct Shikamaru," Naru eyes seemed to sparkle, "I thought you would figure it out rather quickly, but let's keep this information to ourselves." He nodded and she released him.

"Um." A shy Hyuga caught her attention. "Naru-ch-chan, is that you?"

"Hina-chan!" Naru pulled the girl into a hug, "Congratulations on graduating."

"Th-thank you." The girl stuttered.

"You know her?" Shikamaru asked Hinata.

"Yes," Hinata answered quietly, "Sometimes she trains with Neji-nii-san and his team."

"Hmm, how old are you?" He then asked Naru.

"You know it's rude to ask a woman's age." Naru reprimanded.

"But Hinata called you Naru-chan." Shikamaru stated.

"Well, I guess it's alright to tell," Naru said light-heartedly, "You're all probably going to find out later when you see me. I'm twelve!" Choji, who had come over to greet his chips, choked in disbelief.

"No way!" He seemed to be eyeing her body as he tried to discern her.

"Remember? Henge!" Naru laugh as she took Hinata along with her to eat lunch.

"N-naru-chan!" She stumbled a bit, "Why are we hurrying?"

"No reason." Naru slowed down for her companion, "So how's have you been. Do I need to lecture your baka-father or baka-Neji for you again?"

"No, they've been very considerate towards me and sometimes help me train," Hinata mumbled. Her blonde friend nodded approvingly and they sat down together at a bench to eat. While Hinata had a traditional bento Naru just pulled out a cup of instant ramen. "How are you going to eat that?" the lavender eyed girl asked, "There's no water or a stove."

"Watch closely and I'll show you." Naru held up her palm and concentrated lightly waiting until the water from the air began to form a ball in her hand. She then added the water and held the cup with both hands, channelling her raw chakra into heat and stopping once it had come to a boil. "See!" Naru held up her lunch for Hinata to see. The noodles were slightly soggy but otherwise fine.

"That's handy." She commented.

"Mm!" Naru agreed, "It would be better if I could use a katon jutsu but last time I tried the cup set on fire and my noodles were burnt." There were comical tears that ran down her face as she relived her traumatic experience. Hinata giggled lightly and listened to some of Naru's adventures for the past day. A certain Uchiha followed by a pinkette fan girl and her friend with platinum blonde hair walked by, stopping as her noticed Naru. He gave her a sharp stare before leaving. "Is he always like that?" Naru wondered.

"Mostly…" Hinata answered.

"I'm not really liking my new teammates," Naru decided, "I hope Kakashi sets his standards high for the next part."

"Huh?" Hinata questioned.

"Never mind," Naru looked up at the sun and estimated the time, "It's almost 1' so we'd better get going.

"R-right!" They both broke out into a light jog, arriving back in the classroom not the least bit tired. One by one the jounins arrived to pick up their charges leaving Naru, Sakura and Sasuke alone together.

"So," Sakura began awkwardly, "How long have you been a ninja for, Naru-san?"

"3 years." Naru answered.

"That's not a very long time," Sasuke commented, "Usually someone around your age would have double the experience." Naru laughed lightly.

"You know," She responded, "I've never had anyone say that to me before. But putting that aside do you have anything to do for the next three hours."

"No." Sakura was confused, "Why?"

"Because, Hatake Kakashi is well known for his chronic lateness." Naru said bluntly. Roughly 3 hours later the three had almost died of boredom. Though Sasuke didn't voice his opinion you could see his irritation judging by how often and how tightly he clenched his fist.

"Yo." The two students turned sharply to face a laze, one-eyed jounin man standing at the door.

"You're late!" Sakura shouted pointing at him accusingly.

"My first opinion of you all is that you're annoying." He gave them an eye-smile, "Meet me on the roof in five minutes." Kakashi then disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the two new graduates astounded.

"Well, looks like this is my cue to leave as well." Naru held her right hand up in the ram position before disappearing in a shunshin.

"How was your examination?" Kakashi asked as his apprentice appeared beside him.

"I don't like them," Naru said immediately, dispelling her henge, "But I don't particularly dislike them either."

"So in overall?" Kakashi probed, slightly dismayed at the loss of the gorgeous henge.

"They need work," She grimaced, pretending not to care as her teacher pulled out his porn, "A lot of work."

* * *

**-4 years later… Naru aged 16-**

"Sasuke…" Naru hissed in disgust standing over his kneeling form, "Or would it be more fitting to call you Orochimaru now?" She looked over the pitiful state of a possessed Sasuke. They had been comrades working together on the same team with Sakura and Kakashi, brothers even though she was a girl. At least until he was bitten by the treacherous snake-paedophile, also known as Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin. It was when they were ambushed during the chuunin exam, and Naru firmly held the belief that it was due to the curse mark that Sasuke had lost the rational part of his mind. Fuelled by vengeance and power hungry, Sasuke turned traitor. "It's over." The blonde stated referring to the many times they had battled each other.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted feeling the pain of all his wounds. His cursed form had receded due to chakra depletion and his body was littered with deep cuts and bruises, not to mention a couple of broken ribs and limbs. The battle had been intense and he wasn't the only one that suffered, Naru looked far worse and it was amazing she was the one standing. The destruction of most of her clothes, leaving her barely decent, showed numerous amounts of harsh burns and cuts. Her usually bright blonde hair was dyed red with both of their blood and she had an obvious limp. Though by far her worst wound was the gaping hole she had received through her heart, which thanks to the Kyuubi, was slowly closing up. "You sure are a persistent pest aren't you?" The possessed Sasuke gritted out, glaring at her with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

"I could say the same to you." Naru spat back, putting as much acid into her voice as possible, "I've chased after Sasuke for roughly four years and when I finally catch him I find trash like you in his place."

"Watch it!" Orochimaru sneered, hoping to drag out the conversation long enough for him to regain some chakra, "I only gained full possession of this body about a couple months back when Sasuke began questioning his decision."

"What are you talking about," Naru scoffed, "That teme chose to go with you willingly." Despite the pain to his vessel, Orochimaru cackled maliciously.

"That may be so," He admitted, "But it seems like the nonsense you would spout at him every time you confronted each other were starting to get to him. After my dear boy killed Itachi and completed his revenge, he was prepared to return to the village and atone for his sins."

"What?" the blonde said shocked. _Sasuke would have returned?_ The thought caused the demon fox inside her to growl.

**_What are you doing just standing there listening to the snake!_** He shouted in her mind, **_Finish him off and be done with it._** Naru nodded and pulled out a kunai, too weak to perform any jutsu. It was too late though, Orochimaru had used her naivety to stall for enough time, and was now going through numerous hand seals. Naru growled at her own foolishness and lunged forward only to find her feet anchored to the ground by snakes.

"Kinjutsu – Shitai Kyushu-ho!" Orochimaru reached out his hand towards Naru's abdomen as she struggled but he felt his vessel freeze for a split second. She noticed this and watched as slowly, the hand was drawn back just before touching her. "Dammit!" Orochimaru shouted, "Why can't I control my body?!" Faster than her eyes could follow he began performing a multitude of hand signs, cursing loudly all the while.

"Sasuke-teme?" Naru questioned unsurely. The possessed body gave her one of the famous Uchiha smirks.

"How is it going dobe?" Sasuke replied, "You miss me?"

"You shouldn't be alive!" Orochimaru exclaimed from the same body. It was confusing to watch but by listening to the tones of the voices, Naru knew who was who.

"You didn't think I was going down that easily did you?" Sasuke mocked. During the whole time his hands continued to move, speeding up slightly.

"What are you doing?" the ex-Sannin screeched, "Give me back my body!" Sasuke scoffed in response.

"I hardly think it's your body you thief!" Sasuke replied.

"Does this mean you've got your body back?" Naru asked excitedly only for her hope to diminish as Sasuke shook his head.

"Sorry Naru but –" He was interrupted.

"Tell me what technique you're preforming!" Orochimaru demanded, "I don't recognize the hand seals."

"I bet it's going to be a super powerful jutsu that'll get rid of Orochi-teme, right?" Naru offered. Sasuke shook his head again.

"You should know by now, even if you're a dobe," Sasuke explained, "I'm stuck with the slimy bastard and there is no way to get rid of him." Orochimaru tried to cut him off but was pushed back as Sasuke finished the technique.

"Sorry dobe, but this'll hurt." The Uchiha came towards her and covered her eyes with his left hand while the right finished the last few seals, "Kinjutsu – Ketsueki Iten!"

"What–" Naru managed to say, feeling a warm liquid run over her eyes, before she the pain Sasuke mentioned came. It started as a dull ache in her eyes which only intensified as it spread throughout her whole body. Held in place by the snakes, she bit back a scream, not wanting to show any weakness.

"You're holding up fairly well," Sasuke stated, his breathing laboured. As his hands were removed, Naru was frightened, finding that she couldn't see anything except an expanse of darkness.

"Sasuke, what did you do?" Naru gasped, feeling tears run down her cheek from the pain. She didn't have to wait for his answer as Orochimaru responded for her.

"My eyes!" He cried angrily, "What have you done to my Sharingan!"

"I gave it away." Sasuke told them both, "Naru, I can't hold him back much longer, and you're handicapped with the loss of your sight at the moment." He used her name to convey the seriousness of the situation, "Use this chance to kill me."

"I can't!" Naru answered quietly, "I was prepared to do it before but now you're here I want to save you!"

"You can't!" Sasuke told her the blunt reality, grabbing her hand which clutched a kunai.

"Do it!" He guided her to his throat and Naru gave a sob, "Do it." He repeated sadly.

"Sasuke…" Naru murmured.

**_Just do it kit,_** Kyuubi advised,**_ It's his last wish that to die by your hands rather than be supressed by the snake._** Naru took a deep breath and steeled herself, pushing back her personal emotions and adopting the mindset to that of a veteran ninja. "

Farewell, my brother, may I see you in hell." She grinned foxily at him before swiping her weapon along his throat and despite her sudden blindness, she felt the spray of warm blood and the smirk of satisfaction directed at her.

**-Two days later…**

- - - - - _Mindscape_ - - - - -

**_"Kit,"_** Naru sat in her mindscape as she listened to the fox's comforting words,**_ "It's been two days already. How long do you plan to cry for?"_**

"But, Sasuke…" the girl looked down at her hands which were covered in blood, "I killed him. I killed my brother!" She sobbed and looked around her desolate mind. The walls of the sewer were painted red and she was kneeling in a river of Sasuke's blood.

**_"I know, but you have to move on. It's in a ninja's line of work and he was prepared for the consequences of his actions."_** Naru stayed silent while the Kyuubi snuck a tail out of his cage. The furred appendage patted his host gently on the head in a strange twist of fate.**_ "You don't need to hurry,"_** he continued, _**"B**_**_ut you have your important people in the real world worrying about you. At least give them a reason to be relieved."_** Naru nodded and stood mechanically,

"You right," She wiped her tears away, "I've still got important things to do and there are enemies after me."

**_"Train,"_** the demon suggested, _**"I**_**_t'll keep your mind off things and help prepare you for future battles."_**

"Thank you." Naru said sincerely, bowing deeply to the fox, "You know, you're not such a bad guy, Kyuubi."

_**"**_**_Kurama,"_** he answered, _**"I**_**_'ll give you the privilege of using my name." _**Naru laughed at his haughty tone,

"Really, you help me more than you know, Kurama." She gave the beast a small wave before returning to the real world.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

"Hokage-sama, she's awake!" called a young woman's voice. Naru felt strange, she was definitely in a hospital bed with a couple of tubes stuck in her arms but her vision was obscured and all she could see was darkness. She reached out and felt bandages wrapped around her eyes.

"Gaki!" Tsunade shouted, "You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?"

"Strange." Naru answered, "What's happened recently?"

"Kakashi found you collapsed at The Valley of the End two days ago with Sasuke dead next to you." The Godaime said grimly, "He buried Sasuke where he died and brought you back to Konoha for healing. As soon as your friends found out they came charging in here like a stampede of wild bulls." Naru giggled softly, she could definitely imagine that, "Of course we can't have that behaviour in a hospital so they were chased out until they could compose themselves."

"Um, Baa-chan," Naru asked quietly slightly worried about her vision, "Why are my eyes wrapped up?"

"We found something strange in them and when exposed to light the muscles around your pupil continuously moved causing it to continuously dilate and contract. To prevent this we decided to cover your eyes and let them rest in darkness for a while before exposing them to light again."

"Oh, ok." Naru was confused but trusted in Tsunade's medical knowledge, "I guess I'll just have to make do for now."

"Do you know what could have caused this?" the older blonde asked, "Anything that may have happened during the fight?"

"Actually-" Naru was cut off as the door was slammed open and a group of people stumbled in.

"Naru!" they shouted loudly.

"Shut up!" the Hokage responded hitting each of the teens harshly on the head. "We'll talk about this later," She said to her patient, "For now you should tend to your friends while I get a drink."

"Hai, Baa-chan!" Naru made a mock salute and the older woman left grumbling about rude brats. After she was gone the room exploded with questions, confusing the poor patient who was trying to make sense of it all.

"Maa-maa, guys," her sensei drawled in his lazy tone, "One at a time you're confusing her."

"Arigatou." Naru said thankfully, recovering from her dizziness.

"How are you, Naru?" Asked a shy heiress.

"I'm doing fine Hinata." The blonde answered, "Just give me a couple of hours and I'll be back on my feet!"

"Naru-baka!" Sakura hit her teammate sharply on the head, "You need to rest." The pink hair girl was relieved to have her friend back, even if their other teammate was now deceased.

"Of course." Naru replied with a cheeky grin.

"What happened to your eyes?" A certain Nara asked.

"I actually have no idea." She told to group.

"Really," Kiba sounded his disbelief, "But you would've known if you had injured them right?"

"Probably." She shrugged, "But there's no use worrying about them now. I'll just ask Baa-chan for the details later." Everyone accepted the answer and moved onto idle chatter. Ino was sitting on her bed chatting with Sakura as she brushed Naru's hair. Shikamaru had somehow found a shogi board and was playing against Shino, who was apparently, a tough opponent. Kiba, who had snuck Akamaru into the hospital, was talking to Choji about where they should be celebrating her recovery. Naru herself was having an animated conversation with Sai and Hinata, while both Kakashi and Yamato stood by the side to advise everyone.

"I think I've worked out a new form for Rasengan-" she stop abruptly as she felt thundering footsteps hurrying towards them.

"Naru-chan!" Her very youthful friend charged through the door followed by Neji, Tenten and Gai.

"Sorry for the noise!" Tenten apologised being just as loud.

"Be quiet!" Neji scolded them both, "We are at a hospital not a farmhouse!"

"Aren't my team brimming with youthfulness and compassion!" Gai said to Kakashi.

"Hm?" the Cyclops replied even though everyone knew he had heard clearly, "Did you say something?" Gai held his chest dramatically,

"My hip rival, your words wound me."

"Ahaha…" Naru trailed off. She silently thanked Iruka for the sensor lessons she had years ago allowing her to sense Lee and prepare for the oncoming barrage of his youth. Speaking of him, the scarred academy teacher also came through the door followed by a dango-offering Anko. Naru hadn't failed to notice how close the two were recently. It was nice to see the modest teacher with someone so… outgoing…

"Naru, are you ok?!" Iruka was flustered and worried trying to calm himself but failing.

"Brat, here's a gift." The snake mistress shoved the food onto her lap and slouched back into a chair. Next Asuma and Kurenai sauntered in with some get well flowers.

"Thank you." Naru said placing them by her bedside.

**_It's nice to know how many people care for you,_** Kurama noted. Surprisingly, Naru also noticed three other chakra signals by the door as well as a tiny bit of red hair poking out behind it.

"Gaara, you can come out from hiding behind there…I can sense your chakra and you hair's poking out." The room quietened as the Godaime Kazekage popped out from behind the door, his cheeks coloured a healthy dose of red.

"I was not hiding Uzumaki." He denied in a blank tone though appeared to be pouting slightly. His two siblings were with him as well. Temari sneaking glances at the lazy strategist while Kankuro began a hearty conversation with Kiba. "Uzumaki," The other jinchuriki seemed slightly confused, "How did you see my hair if your eyes are bandaged?" The conversations suddenly quietened as everybody thought hard.

"That's right." Iruka stated, "You're able to sense people but you shouldn't have known his hair was poking out." Gaara blushed again, something extremely clear to Naru.

"I-I don't know," She replied startled, "I only just noticed but I can actually see all of you, though everything's grainy because of the bandage I guess?" Kakashi noticed her uneasiness and quickly sent for Shizune who arrived a moment later with the Hokage and Toad Sannin.

"I came as fast as I could and brought Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama!" She stated regaining her breath, "What's wrong? Is she having seizures again?"

"I was having seizures before?" Naru asked. Jiraiya nodded seriously checking over his student's current health.

"Actually you seemed fine when you woke so it slipped my mind," Tsunade admitted, "When you were first brought here you were having some serious fits and kept screaming about your body burning."

"Aah." The young blonde couldn't remember any of that but she had escaped to her mindscape for a while. It must have been subconscious.

"So what's the problem?" Tsunade continued taking a large drink from the sake bottle she was holding.

"Um, I can see?" Naru said unsurely.

"What do you mean?" The medic asked.

"Well, I seem to be able to see again," Naru scratched the back of her head, "And see through the bandages…"

"Are you sure?" Jiraiya questioned seriously, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"You're not holding any up you damn pervert." The patient replied slightly irritated.

"That's strange," Shizune mumbled.

"Indeed, neither of your parents held this ability so we can't assume you might have 'unlocked' it in battle or something." The slug Sannin said carelessly.

"Parents?" All of her friends repeated the words confused, including the jounins except for Kakashi who had figured it out long ago.

"Oh right!" Tsunade hit her palm with her fist, "I was going to announce it after Naru was released but seeing as you're some of her closest friends it wouldn't hurt to tell. Her mother is Uzumaki Kushina the Red-hot Habanero and former resident of Uzushiogakure and jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox." Naru laughed at the nickname and at the expectant faces of those in the room. "And her father was Konoha's Yellow Flash and fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze." There was silence as the facts were absorbed.

"Eeeeh?!" Everyone looked towards Naru for some sort of amazing reaction from her. She just sat there and stared back from behind her bandaged.

"I've known since I was 7."

"EEEEEHHHH?!" There was more shock as even Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade where included.

"Kurama told me."

**_Fool,_** the fox said**_, they don't know my name._**

"Who's Kurama?" Kakashi asked.

"The Kyuubi…" Naru responded meekly. Tsunade held her forehead feeling a migraine coming on.

"Let's handle this one shock at a time. Now, putting aside the fact Naru seem quite friendly towards the nine-tailed havoc raising demon,"

**_Thanks for the compliment,_** Kurama said happily,

"And who her parents are, let's see why she is able to see through bandages." Tsunade walked over to her bedridden goddaughter and began unravelling the bandages. Naru shut her eyes and waited patiently for them to be removed. "Ok." Tsunade collected the last bit, "Please open your eyes Naru." The girl did as told and by the gasps she received it looked like there was another shock.

"What is it now?" She asked.

"Sharingan!" Hinata exclaimed pointing at her eyes.

"What are you on about?" Naru scratched the back of her head, "I don't have the Sharingan. In fact I'm pretty sure my eyes are blue." She found her headband sitting on the table beside her and used its reflective surface as a mirror. A pair of familiar red and black eyes stared back at her intensely.

"Sasuke-teme!" She growled out in understanding. It was his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The three pointed, red intersecting ellipses with Itachi's own black, three-pronged pinwheel in the centre finished with a black background.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked nervously, "What did he do?"

"He performed a forbidden technique." Naru said bitterly, "It was near the end of my duel with Orochimaru who had possessed his body. I was foolish and fell into one of his traps just as I was going in for the kill. Instead he was about to end me with his Kinjutsu – Shitai kyushu-ho,"

"Corpse absorption technique," Tsunade said softly, "It allows the user to absorb the corpse of his foe and all of its abilities, though if they're still alive it only partially works leaving the opponent in a comatose state,"

"Well just as he was about to hit me with it he suddenly pulled back his hand due to Sasuke's conscience returning. Sasuke then managed to hold the snake-teme back long enough to perform another forbidden technique. He called it Kinjutsu – Ketsueki Iten."

"Blood transfer jutsu?" Shikamaru echoed. Jiraiya looked thoughtful.

"Well if he and Orochimaru shared that body he would have had access to Orochimaru's knowledge and may have been able to create some sort of technique for transferring bloodlines." Jiraiya explained.

"Sasuke was struggling to hold back Orochi-teme," Naru said quietly, "It must have been a failsafe plan to stop him from having the Sharingan and most likely his last resort."

"But Sasuke defected to Orochimaru didn't he?" Kiba asked, "Why would he plan for such a thing?"

"Sasuke defected for the sole purpose of revenge," Kakashi explained, "Orochimaru was the only one at the time who offered him enough power for it so he defected from Konoha. It does not necessarily mean that he liked his new master."

"He didn't," Naru answered, "After he accomplished his revenge he was prepared to come back to Konoha and atone for his sins, accept any punishment he would receive for his selfishness." Eyebrows shot up in disbelief and shock, "But the slimy teme noticed this and forcefully took over Sasuke's body." Her voice shook as tears of blood began to roll down her cheeks, "Sasuke-teme only had about 60% of his body under control, which was going down fast. So after he used the technique he asked me to kill him before that snake came back." All her emotion seemed to be flooding back again. "I killed him!" Even Sakura didn't seem as shook up as Naru did. "I can't do it…" Naru whispered, "I-I need some air… I need to train."

"No way!" Tsunade shouted but it was too late as Naru disappeared from her bed in a flurry of leaves. "Quick, everyone start searching for her! She is in no conditional to even be walking right now. That damn gaki!"

"Hai!" Everyone left the room in search of the missing blonde while Tsunade pulled out another bottle of sake.

"I really need a break." She returned to her office in hopes of using Sarutobi's crystal ball to spot her goddaughter. Meanwhile said girl had disappeared into the forest right behind the Hokage monument.

"Arrgh!" Naru clutched her head as she knelt on the floor, the hospital gown hanging off her fragile form. Her eyes had been activated the entire time and using up her already diminished chakra levels.

**_Just stop the flow towards your eyes._** Kurama said helpfully. Naru did just that and her vision returned to its normal state. Nothing seemed crystal clear anymore and she didn't find herself scrutinizing random objects to analyse them. She recovered from her small fit of hysteria and stood tall, shifting into her taijutsu stance before moving through a beginner's kata. _Left, left, right, step in, kick, pivot, elbow. _She repeated the sequence in her head, her moves slowly becoming more and more intense. _Knee, crouch, sweep, grab, throw, _her movements flowed from her tired limbs, _fist, elbow, pivot, side, punch, left, back, right, thrust, pun-_ She stopped as her fist was caught. Her eyes trailed up from the gloved hand covering her much smaller one, to the flak jacket belonging to a jounin, to the ever present black mask, and up to his sole visible eye which was staring at her gently.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naru said brokenly, "Why did you stop me?"

"You can't do this to yourself Naru," He said sternly, "You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"I'm weak!" She cried out towards the sky, "If only I was stronger! I-I could've saved him." She was pulled into a tight embrace and her sobs were muffled against the older male's chest.

"Shh," He patted her head, "You did what was needed. You did what he asked of you and you did it with the pride of a ninja."

"But-" Naru tried to push him away but Kakashi proved much stronger.

"Do not waste the last chance Sasuke's given you," As the silver haired man spoke he felt his student tense in his arms, "You accomplished his last request and he would be proud of you. All you need to do is take a step forward. You're not alone." His words struck a chord in her heart and Naru cried out all her grief, with her own tears and not the blood of Sasuke's eyes. "It's alright now." Kakashi mumbled. Naru leaned into him feeling drowsiness come over her as her tears dried up into quiet sobs.

**_Kit,_** Kurama said softly as he sat in his cage,**_ you were never alone._**Naru nodded feeling safe and gave into sleep.

**-Morning after…**

"Mmm…" Naru shifted in her sleep wrapping her arms around a strange source of warmth. It wasn't soft but hard, though not unpleasant. She tightened her grip and wriggled closer.

**_Uh kit,_** the fox tried to get her attention. _What is it?_ Naru asked sleepily.**_ You might want to open your eyes and see what that source of warmth actually is…_**Naru obediently opened her eyes and found herself face to face with a black-clad chest. _Huh?_ Just light the night before her eyes travelled up and she found herself face to face with her masked sensei.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked mischievously. Naru looked at their position slightly mortified. All the shifting and wriggling she did somehow landed her on top, practically straddling the Hatake.

"Aah!" She quickly scrambled off him and onto the far side of the bed, noting she was still in her hospital gown. "What happened?" She said trembling lightly. Kakashi chuckled, his student was just so cute and innocent sometimes.

"Well-" He was cut off as the doors burst open and everyone who was in the hospital room yesterday burst in.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled furiously, "Why did you not enlighten us that you had found Naru yesterday? We were searching for her all night!" She seemed to finally notice the girl who was hiding under the covers on the same bed as said man. Everyone followed her eyes ad immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Hatake!" Yelled a frightening Iruka, "I'm going to castrate you." Gaara quickly hurried over to Naru's side ignoring the fact that his sand had formed deadly spears aimed at the odd eyed male. Hinata and Neji were out for vengeance with their Byakugan activated while Gai and Lee were sobbing about the unyouthfulness of the situation. Sakura was cracking her knuckles along with her master and Shizune was mumbling about trying out a new poison. Tenten had pulled out her scroll full of pointy objects and was making a target for his lower regions. Kiba, Sai, Choji, Shino and Ino stood shock still while Shikamaru was formulating some sort of plan. Kankuro was just plain confused but his sister had whipped out her fan. One look at Kurenai sent him shivering while Asuma looked at him with pity. Even Anko had it out for him and Kakashi was pretty damn sure it was just because she wanted to see some bloodshed. Jiraiya looked the most confused, having his inner pervert want to congratulate the soon to be deceased Hatake and his guardian side wanting to be part of the murder.

"I'm just going to say this now," Kakashi said clearing his throat, "I didn't do anything." His hands were held up in a sign of defence.

"It's true I guess." Naru explained, "I was a bit hysterical and Kakashi-sensei helped me calm down. He really didn't do anything." Everyone calm down and her friends began gushing over her.

"But I may plan to in the future," Kakashi said quietly to himself looking over at his maturing apprentice.

"What was that, Hatake?" Tsunade asked having heard him speak.

"Ah," Kakashi stepped back, "Nothing!"

* * *

**-Another 2 years after… Naru aged 18-**

"How dare you!?" Naru cried at the masked figure in front of her. She looked around the ware torn battlefield. The fourth shinobi war had finally happened. Kabuto, Orochimaru's slimy apprentice had joined forces with Akatsuki and together they had attacked all of the hidden villages for their jinchuriki. Brave shinobi had been resurrected with Edo Tensei and loved ones were pitted against each other. Sasuke and Itachi, who had somehow planned ahead for this, managed to stop Kabuto's jutsu but it was too late as the damage was already done. The Konoha 11, Sand siblings, all of the Kages, shinobi and civilian alike everyone had died. Naru and looked to the man at her feet who had died taking a killing blow meant for her. His face was pulled into a loving smile despite the fact he had two large holes drilled into his torso. His once silver gravity defying hair was dull and matted with blood, falling limply around his face. "Kakashi." Naru brought a hand to touch the ring which hung around her neck, brushing past Tsunade's necklace in the process. A plain band of metal made from melted parts of her father's Hiraishin kunai and Sakumo Hatake's white light chakra sabre.

"Aww," Tobi said mockingly, "Was he you lover?"

"You piece of trash!" Naru growled, "How dare you talk about him like that." Tobi just giggled madly. Due to Madara already being dead Naru had no idea to his identity and frankly she didn't care. She just wanted him dead.

**_I share your feelings._** Kurama rumbled in his cage.

"Trash?" echoed the disillusioned man, "I'm a god! And as soon as I have the Kyuubi my Eye of the Moon plan will finally come to pass." Naru bent down and apologised to her former sensei and lover, reaching for the chain she knew held his own ring of the matching pair. She slipped it off his head and onto her own before shifting into a fighting stance.

"You aren't a god." Naru said seriously, "You are a dead man." Her eyes shifted as her own Sharingan was activated.

"Why do you have those?" the masked male tilted his head and released a menacing aura, "Why do you have the Sharingan!"

"Amaterasu!" She summoned up the black flames which consumed his body.

"Izanagi." Tobi merely stepped through the flames with one of the Uchiha's ultimate techniques. Naru cursed. She dashed forward and gave her opponent a sharp kick in the air sending him flying. The masked male merely flipped and landed back on his feet. "You're weak Miss Uzumaki-Namikaze-Hatake~." He sent out a rain of Kunai towards her, all poisoned and deadly with even the smallest of scratches. With unmatched grace Naru dodged them all.

"Kage Bunshin!" She created five clones sending four out to attack him while the last helped her with her newest technique. While each of the clones distracted Tobi Naru collected chakra into her right palm while her cloned began adding elements to it. "Arashi no Rasengan!" She charged him holding the miniature storm in her hands.

"Whoops!" Tobi knocked her arm downwards sending her attack into the floor. The earth shook just before the pressure of the attack was released, creating a crater the size of Konoha. "What a deadly attack!" Tobi grinned, "But it looks like it took a lot of effort to perform, ne?" Naru jumped back with a glare, collapsing to her knees a second after.

"Hah! You kidding?" Naru put up a false pretence, "I could do this all day long!"

"Well aren't you feisty," Tobi thought for a couple of seconds, "I think once my plan comes into effect I'll make you mine~" Naru was sickened at the thought, "As long as you don't die first." His visible eye shifted from the Mangekyo Sharingan to the Rinnegan causing Naru to growl. "Bansho Ten'in~" The blonde felt an irresistible pull and was sent fling towards her enemy. She created a Rasengan and aimed it at his head but her chakra attack was simply absorbed. "You can't have already forgotten the abilities of a Rinnegan user?" The masked male said as he placed a palm on her stomach, "I think I'll be taking the fox back now."

"Aarhg!" Naru felt the beginning of the soul removal and struggled frantically. She leaned in and gave him a vicious bite to his collarbone, tearing off a large chunk of flesh. Her efforts were rewarded as Tobi withdrew his hand and tossed her aside, examining his wound.

"That hurt you little whore!" Naru laughed and spat out the blood from her mouth. She slowly staggered back up into standing position.

**_That was a close one_**, the Kyuubi said, **_why don't you use my chakra like all the other times? _**Naru shook her head. _This is my battle, I want to defeat him with the power of Konoha, not the nine-tailed fox. I probably won't need it anyway._ She began forming some hand signs.

"Hyoton – Gekido Hiryu!" The air in front of Tobi distorted before a large ice dragon burst out aiming to devour him. As Naru expected her jutsu was soon encased in black flames and dissipated into steam. She took this chance to charge in again this time with her tanto raised. Tobi blocked her multiple strikes but a last desperate kick sent him flying through the air. Just like before he flipped and landed back on his feet. Naru straightened up and sent him a chilling smirk. "Target captured. Izanami!"

"What are you on about?" The events of the fight were replayed, not that Tobi noticed until his missing flesh was bit off once again. "What is this?" Naru's dragon was produced and destroyed again and Tobi was kicked up into the air. Flipping he landed and repeated the series once more. Naru meanwhile was holding his forehead as her opponent stayed completely still, with only breathing as his sign of life.

"I win." She said. Stepping back from the man trapped in her genjutsu. She took a look around wishing that the scenery were a genjutsu too, "But I'm alone."

**_He will never accept his mistakes,_** Kurama stated,**_ you've trapped him in a never-ending loop. _**

"Good." Naru smiled lightly and used the blood from her hands to draw a seal on the ground. It mimicked the same seal on her stomach with small additions around the border. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Shuuseihan." The seals trembled and swirled before producing a large puff of smoke. Once cleared sitting in front of Naru was a small one-tailed version of the Kyuubi.

"Kit," He said in a surprisingly high voice, "What is this?"

"I was actually looking up ways to release you from the seal, albeit with some limitations, and it was supposed to be a gift for helping me out all the time." Naru said with an empty tone, "You're still connected to me and I have control over you powers but, you have a body. It's an end of war gift."

"Can I have the honours then?!" Kurama asked excitedly like a small child.

"Go ahead. Restriction level 2 release." Naru formed a one-handed tiger seal as a small portion of the Kyuubi's powers were restored. He was now roughly the size of a small house and had three tails. Without further questioning the fox eagerly tore into his nemesis' throat, slowly devouring the trapped man.

"Thanks for the meal." Kurama added when he was finished licking his lips enthusiastically. He looked over to his host who was kneeling over her mate's body. "Now kit, how about I give you a gift as well,"

"Well I could kill for some ramen right now." Naru joked.

"Well I could do that but how about something better." He dipped his tail into a pool of Naru's blood and began drawing a series of character's and seals on the ground. Naru even though she was proficient in fuinjutsu had no idea what the fox was writing.

"What are you doing?" Naru asked.

"It's a surprise. I'm going to need some time and a lot of blood," He looked at the battlefield, "We have plenty of blood but this will take roughly forty-eight hours." Naru nodded.

"I'll wait then and use this time to give everyone a proper burial." She summoned hundreds of shadow clones and sent them off to bury the dead while she personally attended to the bodies of her friends. The sun had set and risen twice by the time Kurama had finished all of the casualties had been buried leaving a blood-soaked, barren wasteland.

"Kit," Kurama waved Naru over while she inspected the seal. It was about fifty metres in diameter and each part of it was filled with swirls of blood. "This is my gift to you."

"What does it do?" Naru asked.

"It sends us back to the past." Kurama explained.

"Back?" Naru looked exhausted.

"We will go back and become new people," He paused, "Well, you will become a new person, and I will still be a fox."

"What good does going back do," Naru asked frustrated, "We'll just have to go through this pain all over again."

"But you have the power to change it." Kurama continued. Naru looked up at his with dwindling hope in her eyes, "When we go back you won't be Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze anymore. You will be a stranger in that timeline. You will need a new identity."

"How far back can we go?" Naru asked feeling strange that someone had used her full name.

"A year before my attack on your village." Kurama informed, "That is the first thing you'll change. The fourth will no longer die defending you village and Konoha will retain a powerful force."

"Alright," Naru stood tall for the first time in a while, "Let's go then. "

* * *

**A/N** And this concludes the prologue~

It was longer than I expected since I didn't wan't to cut it up into different parts. But the rest of the coming chapters will only be about 3,000 words.

I hope I didn't make any of the character too OOC, and I know I suck at battle scenes but at times you may just have to work with your own imagination. Also sorry for the cliched mob scene. This chapter is really setting down the foundations so please don't pay the details too much attention because I might not come back to them.

Here's some jutsu info;

**Name: **Orioke no Jutsu: Yukata no Yuwaku (Sexy Jutsu: Yutaka Seduction)  
**Classification: **Ninjutsu**  
Rank: **E-rank**  
Class: **Supplementary**  
Range:** -**  
Summary: **Based off the original Orioke no Jutsu, Naru transforms into a solid henge of a young woman dressed seductively in a yukata. It is simple, but very useful, especially on infiltration missions.

**Name:** Shitai Kyushu-ho (Corpse Absorption Technique)  
**Classification: **Kinjutsu**  
Rank: **S-rank**  
Class: **Supplementary/Offensive**  
Range:** User must make contact with target**  
Summary: **A forbidden jutsu created by Orochimaru. It's meant for use on a corpse to absorb the victim's body and thus their techniques and skills. An affinity for every element can be gained this way but it cannot pick up bloodlines. When used on a living person they are only partially absorbed, draining most of their chakra and a chance at leaving them in a comatose. Obviously, takes more effort to perform the attack on a living person.

**Name:** Ketsueki Iten (Blood Transfer)  
**Classification: **Kinjutsu**  
Rank: **S-rank**  
Class: **Supplementary  
**Range:** User must make contact with target**  
Summary: **Made by Sasuke Uchiha using Orochimaru's extensive knowledge. It transfers the bloodline of the user to its designated target through blood. In the example of Sharingan, Sasuke let his blood flow over Naru's eyes, blinding her for a short amount of time as her body adjusted. After using the jutsu the user will no longer be able to use his bloodline, and there will be no traces of it in their body, as if they never had it.

**Name:** Hyoton – Gekido Hiryu (Raging Ice-Dragon)  
**Classification: **Ninjutsu**  
Rank: **A/S-rank (Depending on how much chakra used) **  
Class: **Offensive  
**Range:** Mid to Long**  
Summary: **An original technique by Naru. A large frozen dragon is created from the water vapours in the air (or from available water source) and homes in on the target. Upon contact, ice begins to form from wherever the dragon has touched or bitten spreading along the target. Varying levels of chakra are needed depending on if water is readily available, the targets rough distance, the intensity of the freezing bite desired. Though, no matter what the attack requires an enormous amount of chakra.

**Name:** Arashi no Rasengan (Storm Spiralling Sphere)  
**Classification: **Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu**  
Rank: **S-rank**  
Class: **Offensive  
**Range: **Close range but effects a large area**  
Summary: **Created by Naru and is currently her most powerful attack. It incorporates the elements Water, Wind and Lightning into a Rasengan making a miniature storm. If hit by it, the target will undoubtedly be destroyed (shredded, ripped into pieces, blasted into oblivion). Naru creates a clone to help her add elements to a Rasengan she creates. The attack is then thrust at her enemy. It is known to create a crater the size of Konoha when aimed at the ground and takes up monstrous amounts of chakra.

**Name:** Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Shuuseihan (Summoning Jutsu – Revised)  
**Classification:** Ninjutsu, Space-Time Ninjutsu**  
Rank: **S-rank**  
Class: **Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary  
**Range: -  
Summary: **Created and used by Naru to summon the Kyuubi from inside the seal. Its effect is permanent bringing the Bijuu into the outside world. The jinchuriki still has control over the beast and limits the amount of power available to it.

And that's it. I will be doing a short description of new jutsu after each chapter.

Also, the polls are up~

Thanks for taking your time to read :)


	2. Revert

**A/N** Yo! How's it going?

Welcome to the Chapter 1 of 'Tender Sea'.

Since she has to adopt a new identity Naru will have to get a new name. The title was a small hint but you'll see it pretty early on in this chapter.

I forgot to mention before (even if it was obvious), but;

_**This is for demon/summon speech (mostly Kurama)**_

_And Italics are for thoughts_

As soon as her new name is revealed I will stop using Naru unless she's dreaming or having a flashback.

So without further ado~

* * *

**~Chapter 1 - REVERT**

Naru's eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at a stark white ceiling. She turned her head and surveyed her surroundings. To her left was a door and more white walls while to her right was a window. "A hospital?" as she spoke Naru noticed her voice sounded all wrong. It was too high compared to her usual soft tenor. She got up slowly and swung her legs around to the side of the bed. "What the hell is this?" Instead of her long slim legs, toned from years of training, she had two short, chubby little limbs. She hopped out of bed, taking note of the height difference and walked over to the mirror in her room. She had to bite back a scream at what she found.

"What the hell is going on!?" her child in her reflection shouted. Her body had degenerated to its four year old state, the short limbs, chubby face and impossibly large eyes. She lifted up the flimsy hospital gown she wore and examined her body anxiously. The thing that caught her attention first was the bold black seal on her stomach, the Hakke no Fuin against her pale skin which should have been tanned, standing out in all its glory. Naru frowned slightly, it was probably a side effect of her remade summoning jutsu. Speaking of that, where was Kurama now? Her eyes trailed up to find a peculiar scar on her chest, precisely above her heart. It was quite large, about the size of a clenched fist, appearing as if someone had torn a hole through her chest. The matching scar she knew would be on her back confirmed the fact. Both blemishes were completely smooth and you wouldn't be able to tell it was there from touch. It was the only scar the Kyuubi wasn't able to completely heal, probably because she had died from it, if only for a minute or two.

Letting the dress fall back down she examined her face more closely. She already noted her skin was too pale, maybe her health was suffering? Her once bright cerulean eyes, held a dark and haunted look which she tried to hide, but it was still easy to see if you knew what to look for, and her ever-present whisker marks. She was mildly surprised by her hair though. It was long enough to trail along the floor as she made her way to the window, the usual sunny blonde hanging down her back in soft waves. Cursing her short height she used the window ledge to prop her up nearly tearing up at the sight. It was Konoha, in all its beauty before it had been brutally demolished by constant waves of enemies. She suddenly remembered a passing thought and clutched at her neck. Her rings were gone.

"Hello?" She heard a female voice shout from outside, "Oh my! How can you be standing?" A nurse rushed in and was surprised to see Naru up and about. Naru cocked her head confused.

"Excuse me," She said politely, "What happened to me?"

"Well, I don't know the details exactly but I heard a couple of our shinobi found you barely alive at the outskirts of our village when they were coming back from their mission yesterday." The nurse began her physical examination gasping as she noticed most of her wounds were already healed. "This is impossible!" She also examined the seal curiously but being an average medic, couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"I'm a fast healer." Naru shrugged but the nurse looked at her sceptically, "It's something that's been passed down in my family." She added hoping the nurse would pass it off as a bloodline. She did and moved onto another topic.

"So, what is your name little one?" She asked gently. Naru almost blurted out her name but Kurama's words echoed in her head. She was no longer Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, she needed a new identity.

"I am…" She thought hard, "My name is Miyu."

"That's a beautiful name honey," the nurse patted the newly named Miyu on the head, "Do you have a last name?"

"Un!" The blonde gave her a dazzling look and just mashed her names together, "Uzunami!"

"Well I haven't met anyone with that last name before." The nurse said after a moment of thought, "Do you know where your parents are?" Miyu contemplated what to say but just went with the safest option.

"They're probably…dead." There was a moment of awkward silence as the nurse gave her a pitying look while the blonde acted as sad as she could, which truthfully wasn't very hard. It was right about now that Konoha was in the middle of the Third Shinobi War, orphans weren't that uncommon anymore.

"C-can you tell me who saved me?" Miyu asked, "I'd like to thank them."

"Of course." The nurse didn't see any problem with it seeing that her patient was pretty much fully healed. Though, she would have to speak to the Hokage about that. "You're in luck. They're here at the moment while one of their member's gets a check-up for his eye." Miyu nodded and allowed the nurse to lead her down the hallway. She had a strange feeling in her stomach about meeting her saviours but even if she was in the past in her younger body, she should show her gratitude. "They're in here." The nurse knocked the door and ushered the small girl inside before leaving to continue her job. Whatever she was about to say left her mind as she ended up face to face with her hero, the future Fourth Hokage, her father.

"Why hello there!" Minato said in a surprised yet cheery voice, "It's nice to see you doing well."

"Um…" Miyu felt extremely small at the moment, "Thank you for saving me, sir."

"Hahaha," His laughter surprised her, "There's no need to be formal. I'm Namikaze Minato. You can just call me Minato if you want."

"Then Minato-san." Miyu said quietly bowing slightly, "My name is Miyu. Uzunami Miyu." She felt bad about lying but resolved to take up the identity to make the statement true.

"Oh, Kami-sama!" Miyu looked up at the sound of a high pitched squeal, "She's so cute!" Her feet suddenly left the ground as she was swept up into a bone crushing hug. She looked around for help and was saved as Minato pried her from his student's arms.

"Rin, you've got to be gentler," He lectured, "She still a patient at this hospital and needs to be treated with care."

"Like you can speak." A new voice said dryly. Minato looked up to see he had the girl thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Miyu saw the speaker from her upside down point of view as her back curved over the jounins shoulder. His face was younger and he had some bandages covering his left eye but still had the ever-present mask.

"Aah! I'm so sorry," Minato put the girl down, before starting to panic, "Are you hurt? Do you need any help? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Miyu responded confused. "I'm alright…"

"You clearly aren't since you're crying." Rin said sternly with a worried look. Miyu touched her cheek and felt an unexpected wetness, and quickly rubbed the rest of her tears away. She had no idea when she had started crying but it was best if she stopped soon.

"Here we go!" Minato lifted the girl up and continued to play as if she was an ordinary child. She would have glared at this, telling him to stop… if she wasn't enjoying it so much…

"So how did it go, Kakashi?" Rin asked concerned for her teammate.

"It's fine," Miyu heard the Hatake reply, "It's healing slowly though, and I won't be able to deactivate it." Miyu noted the tone of his voice. Why did it sound so dead? She looked up at him, her vision blurry with movement, and tried to analyse his face. His sole black eye was slightly glazed over with guilt and pain. What had exactly happened? Then the realization hit her, it was Obito's death. She had never really heard of the boy except the rare times when Kakashi talked about his past. It seemed the Uchiha had played a major role in Kakashi's development as a ninja and a human being.

"You'll have to keep it covered then." Rin advised. It wouldn't do if he was constantly drained of chakra.

"There we go." Minato was proud to have successfully stopped her tears, so her placed her back on the ground to her slight disappointment. "Would you like to tell us what happened?" He asked cautiously, "When we found you by the outskirts of the village you were heavily injured and near death." Rin gave him a dark glare for bringing up such an upsetting topic to an innocent child.

"I-" She was at a lost. What should she say? What could she say? "I don't remember much…" She looked at the ground refusing to make eye contact. "I was with mama and papa when some bad ninja's attacked," She added, acting the part of a traumatized child, "There was lots of screaming, and blood and then I had to run away…and I-I…"

"It's alright now," Rin patted her head softly and spoke in a soothing tone, changing the subject, "So, how did you recover so quickly?" As a medic she was extremely interested in the small girl's body. They had come across her lying in a pool of her blood completely dyed red. Yet, here she was the day after without a single scar.

"I heal faster than normal people..." Miyu answered. "If you want I can show you?"

"Oh really? How?" Kakashi asked genuinely interested. The little girl glanced around the room and found a scalpel on a nearby equipment tray.

"Ah, be careful! You shouldn't play around with sharp objects!" The blonde jounin exclaimed in alarm.

"Hm?" Miyu didn't even blink as she drew the tool across her forearm creating a shallow cut which bled slightly. Thrusting the arm to the rather confused audience she let them watch as it healed within the minute.

"That's incredible!" Rin exclaimed, inspecting the arm closer. There wasn't a scar or any other trace that it had been damaged.

"A bloodline?" Kakashi wondered.

"I think so," Minato agreed, "Or she could just have an incredible healing rate."

"What a convenient ability," The boy noted, "Especially for a ninja." He didn't know why, but Minato felt a little uncomfortable with the statement. This girl looked too much like an angel, to put her in the shinobi world would be cruel. Suddenly the group was interrupted by the dramatic entry of a fox. The bundle of red fur came flying through the window stumbling to a stop at Minato's feet.

"Yip!" It looked up innocently.

"Huh? What's a fox doing here." Rin asked in surprise.

"Ku-" Miyu began stopping as the fox gave her a look. "chan…" She finished lamely. She was put down and hugged the fox tightly. "Where did you go?! I thought I was all alone."

"Yip." Kurama nudged a pair of shiny objects into her hand. Miyu stared down to see hers and Kakashi's rings hanging on a single thin chain. A wave of relief came over her and she was finally able to calm down.

**_These are the only things I could bring over,_** the fox echoed in her mind. In the commotion she had forgotten about that ability and almost jumped, **_the remainder of your identity._**

"What's that?" Minato asked looking over her shoulder. Miyu started slightly and felt her face heat up.

"They're my important treasures." Miyu stated looping the necklace around her neck and shying away.

"Hmm." Minato gave her a strange look. Why would a young girl keep rings as her treasure? Were they a memento from her parents? Either way they seemed familiar.

"Who's your friend?" Rin asked pointing at the fox who was using his hind legs to scratch his ear.

"He is Ku-chan!" Miyu said cutely, "He takes care of me." Kakashi looked at the fox warily. He hadn't sensed its presence at all until it came crashing through the window.

"So Miyu, what should we do now?" The blonde jounin began, "Ah, is that so." Minato scratched his head awkwardly, "Well, then how about living in Konoha?" Miyu's eyes lit up.

"Really?" she responded cutely.

"Of course!" Rin shouted.

"We need to inform Hokage-sama first though." Kakashi added.

"Alright, then let's go!" Minato kept a hold of all the children before disappearing in a flash of yellow reappearing in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What seems to be the problem, Minato?" the Sandaime asked using the interruption to take a break from his paper work.

"You left Ku!" Miyu shouted running over and opening the window to the building.

"Whoops?" the jounin replied as his students just face-palmed. They heard an angry yip as the fox hopped from in from the window.

**_Damn blonde! Making me run when I'm already tired._** He wandered up to Miyu and snuggled up by her leg.

"How did it get here so fast?" Rin asked mystified.

"I'd like to know how it got through the window, considering how high this floor is." Kakashi said, his sole eye widening.

"Ku-chan has magical powers." Miyu exclaimed childishly hoping they would leave the topic.

"I'd appreciate an explanation for this if you would Minato." The Hokage said rather confused staring at the blue-eyed blonde girl then at the blue-eyed blonde jounin. Coincidence? "Who is this you girl and her companion."

"Actually, this is the girl my team and I found by the outskirts of Konoha." Minato explained.

"Yes I heard about that, though it seems like she's fine now." He looked at the girl who had sparkles in her eyes as she stared back at him.

"And it seems like she's and orphan of war most likely," Minato continued, "So I was wondering if she could become a citizen of Konoha."

"Of course, she can." Sarutobi replied, "This war has gone on for too long and has caused too many misfortunes, helping those in need is the best we can do to make amends." Miyu seemed to still be staring at him and he could feel her eyes watching his every move. "What is it young one?" He asked kindly. Now she was here she really had no idea where to begin.

"Jiji!" Miyu blurted out with a cheerful face. The audience was a bit surprised but the Hokage kept his smile up.

"Yes?" The old man urged her to speak her thought.

"Ah, I-I um…" Miyu fidgeted, "Could I ask you for a favour?" He looked at the child curiously.

"What is it young one?" It was nice to see the familiar smiling face even though he didn't recognize her.

"I-I want to be a kunoichi!" She had no idea how to go about asking so she would stay true to her nature and be straightforward.

"Oho?"

"Nononononon!" Minato held his arms in an 'X' and shook his head. "Why would you want that?!" he was hoping she'd live a nice, long, happy, civilian life.

"Why not?" She tilted her head cutely.

"Because ninja are bad, evil people," The jounin said, undermining his own profession.

"But you're all good people, aren't you?" She was confused at what the man was trying to do, his points made no sense. "You saved me after all."

"But as a ninja you'll have to sacrifice yourself for your leader, you'll be forced to take many lives," Rin supplied. The fox snorted in his mock-sleep.

"I'm prepared for that!" Miyu said confidently, "Mama and Papa were ninja and I want to follow in their footsteps!"

"They were ninja?" Rin asked. She thought it may have just been some missing nin attacking a civilian family but they were ninja it make sense that the girl would want to be one to.

"You're not out for revenge, right?" Kakashi gave her a dead serious look. She shook her head so fast that her hair was flayed out. She would have to cut it later on.

"What if those ninja have families?" she asked horrified. The Hokage stared at her in utter surprise.

"I'm sorry to bring this matter up but you do realize that your parents had a family, and they were still killed?" He stated. She nodded slowly. The experiences she had had in her life taught her to never take anything involving ninjas at face value.

**_Those Uchiha brothers were a prime example_**, Kurama's ear twitch every now and then, showing he was still paying attention.

"Maybe Mama or Papa did something awful to the bad ninjas and they were out to get them back…" Minato didn't understand how she could be so fair to someone who, regardless, had slaughtered her family.

"So I'm asking, what's to stop you from doing the same?" Kakashi continued. Words echoed in her head, a lifelong lesson she had learnt from Pein.

"If you don't share someone's pain, you can never understand them. But even if you understand them doesn't mean you can come to an agreement. That's the truth." She said with certainty, "Hate and pain are like a never ending chain which just grows and grows. We are driven to seek vengeance under the banner of justice. But if there is justice in vengeance, then justice will breed only more vengeance… then the chain grows longer and heavier." Silence filled the room when she finished as her words echoed in their minds.

At that moment all the current ninjas in the room, including the hidden Anbu, wondered if it would be weird for them to tell their comrades that they had heard the wisest words in a long time, come out of a four-year-old's mouth.

"You are a very clever girl, Miyu." Sarutobi sighed, "I bet if everyone thought like you we wouldn't have so many meaningless battles. This war could have been avoided." She smiled brightly at the praise and was once again glomped by Rin. "As it is, Uzunami Miyu is now an honorary citizen of Konoha and is set to start attending the academy in a week." He declared.

"Uh, isn't she a bit young?" Minato asked nervously.

"Kakashi graduated at five, became a chuunin at six and is now a jounin at thirteen." The Sandaime replied instantly.

"Point taken." Minato dropped his argument glancing towards the silver haired boy.

"So Miyu, you said your parents were ninja," The Hokage remembered, "Did they teach you anything?"

**_Kit, give them the academy standard…_**

"They didn't let me touch their weapons since they thought I was too young," She assumed her accuracy and taijutsu had gone down due to her new body, "But they taught me some jutsu!"

"Really? Which ones?" Minato asked.

"Um, the clone one, the transforming one and the log one!" She made sure to keep it vague and sound like the kid she was.

"So Bushin, Henge and Kawarimi." Kakashi assumed, it was safe to say she had the basics of ninjutsu down.

"Well since you already know part of the academy's course I won't make you repeat it," Sarutobi carefully selected a class for her to attend and jotted down the details onto a slip of paper. "Here, take this note with you when you go there. Minato will take you. Can you read kanji yet?"

"Hai!" The Hokage smiled approvingly.

"Good. Now, get going and celebrate or something…" They were then ushered them out of the room leaving the elderly man and his multiplying piles of paper.

"Well, let's go get ramen then." Minato said casually. Miyu ignored the protest of his two students and cheered loudly, allowing the taller blonde to lead the way. With another lazy use of the Hiraishin the appeared in front of the small store, this time with Kurama as well.

"Welcome!" A younger Teuchi said in his friendly voice. "I see you've brought a new customer."

"Yeah this is Miyu." Minato introduced, "You'll be seeing a lot of her around Konoha from now on."

"Well I guess that's enough reason for everything to be on the house today."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked as he stared at his leader who was currently drooling from the smell.

"Of course!" Teuchi gave a laugh, "So what'll it be."

"Pork for me." Rin ordered.

"I'll have beef." Kakashi decided.

"4 pork, 5 miso and 3 beef for me Teuchi!" Minato announced as his students gagged. Miyu was tempted to say 'the usual' but held it back. She was going to have to do a lot of adjusting.

**_Beef!_** Kurama ordered eagerly though no one but Miyu understood. She just added the item to her own list of orders.

"6 miso, 2 pork and 4 beef, please!" She announced proudly. Everyone stared in surprise.

"Can you even eat that much?" Rin asked.

"It's not a competition so you don't have to try and out do our idiot sensei." Kakashi added. Miyu just gave them her puppy eyes and they caved in instantly. All worries were washed away anyway after seeing her down her first bowl like a glass of water. Something they had only seen Minato himself do. Meanwhile said jounin looked incredible proud shouting that he had finally found himself a protégé.

"I missed ramen, right Ku?" Miyu said to her companion who was lapping his own bowl beside her. The fox yipped in agreement and they ate with Teuchi talking about his daughter in the background.

* * *

**A/N** And that's the end of the first chapter!

So now Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto has become Uzunami Miyu. The last name could also have been Namimaki, Uzukaze or Kazemaki. I narrowed it down to Kazemaki and Uzunami and the chose the later since it sounded smoother. Well Uzu (渦) here means 'vortex', and Nami (波) means 'waves'. Her first name, Miyu (海優) tranlates into 'sea, tenderness' thus you get the title :D

I'm liking all the positive reviews and even though I was going to update once a week I changed my mind! I hope to update once every few days until I run out of plot and have to plan some more :D

Thanks for reading. Keep reviewing and vote on the poll~


	3. Adapt to Change

**A/N** Welcome back!

If you ever find yourself wondering why Miyu seems to act like a child remember it's because she is one. Even though she might have previously been 18 years old, she has reverted back to her childlike self, and even with her knowledge she gets childlike tendencies.

I really don't know... the more I write this story the more Minato seems like he's going to be the doting type... and the sadistic type when it comes to his students. If you don't see it yet wait a couple more chapters.

Anyway here's the next chapter.

* * *

**~Chapter 2 - ADAPT TO CHANGE**

Considering his profession, Minato was surprisingly bright, both in looks and personality. It didn't help that he was a bit too naïve and gave his trust away quite freely, something his wonderful girlfriend frequently berated him about. But there was one thing they could agree with and that was to always trust you gut instincts. When he had first found Miyu lying half-dead on the dirt road the jounin had felt a strange desperation to save her. He had already lost one of his students recently while the others were either badly injured or had collapsed from exhaustion. So he pinned the desperation on not wanting to see any more children die.

The trip to the hospital was easy enough and after a few soldier pills Rin was back on her feet. Kakashi got bandaged up and his eye, Obito's eye, was checked for any irregularities. His team was given the all clear and it looked like the child he had saved was going to survive as well. He had escorted each of his students home before making his way to the memorial stone and carving on another name. The cheerful Uchiha's death weighed heavily on him and he would strive even harder to end this war.

Returning to his apartment his girlfriend had left a note saying she would be absent for a while, leaving the place depressingly empty. He slept fitfully, but was rested enough and had instant ramen for breakfast, no surprises there. Picking up his students he was glad to see Rin looking alright but Kakashi might be a problem. The boy acted fine but anyone who knew him well enough saw he was plagued with guilt. They revisited the hospital and his eye was checked again. The doctors ran several test where Rin was called to help, being a frequent worker in the hospital. While both his students were gone he had the pleasure of meeting the girl from yesterday, now awake and looking absolutely adorable. She had golden hair as long as his girlfriends, but due to her short stature, it trailed on the ground, and eyes the colour of the sea. The blood had been cleaned off, thankfully, and he could see some three whisker-looking marks on each cheek. Minato had trained enough as a ninja to recognize the haunted look in her eyes that were well hidden and decided to go with his gut instincts right then and there.

In the hospital, catching a glance at the nervous and unsure child, Minato had decided to take full responsibility for Miyu.

"So this is where you'll be staying for now… I guess." Minato rubbed the back of his head with his hand as he showed the girl his apartment. "Sometimes my girlfriend stays over but she's away on a mission for this month."

"Thank you," Miyu replied, "For taking care of me."

"Ah it's no problem, I was getting pretty lonely anyway," He waved off, ushering the girl in. Kurama strode in after him, sniffing around the place.

"Do they allow pets in here?" Miyu wondered, struggling to lift the fox up with her untrained arms.

"As long as they're well behaved."

**_I'll be good._** The fox yipped out.

"Ku says he'll behave!" Miyu responded without thinking.

"You can understand it?" Minato wondered. Miyu nodded. "We have a clan similar in Konoha which can understand dogs, the Inuzuka." He accepted easily enough.

**_I guess I'll be masquerading as a partner nin for you then. This will actually make it much easy to explain my presence._** Kurama said, telepathically this time. **_And since foxes are canines I'll be your ninken. _**_Should I tell him something like that?_ The fox nodded.

"Ano," She tugged on Minato's sleeve to get his attention, "Mama used to call Ku-chan my ninken!"

"Really?" He urged her on, interested, "Did she say anything else about Ku?"

"Um, if I concentrate hard enough I can make him get bigger…" Minato assumed she was talking about the fox getting older, "And sometimes Ku can breathe fire!"

"That's nice…Wait what!?" Minato looked at the small innocent fox and Kurama smirked mischievously before blowing out a small stream of fire. "That is definitely not normal!" The Namikaze said barely dodging the attack.

"Really?" Miyu tried to look surprised, "But he's always been able to."

"Well, that's incredibly strange… anyway no fire breathing in the apartment!"

"Hai~" Miyu replied dutifully.

"Good, well it's getting late so let's get you out of that gown and into bed," He noted he would have to by her clothes since she couldn't walk around in the thin hospital dress, "The guest room is further down to the right… Here take this." He handed her the smallest shirt he could find which was still ridiculously big on her small frame.

"Thank you." She lifted up the white shirt and gave it an intense stare.

**_If it's not your horrid jumpsuits it's that stupid face that haunts my dreams._** Ku bristled with distaste as the henohenomoheji stared back.

"You're a polite kid, keep it up." Minato patted her head and bid her good night as he yawned and left for his own bed. Miyu padded her way to the guest room and changed into the loose shirt. It hung down to her knees but the cotton was comfy and warm. By the time she had got over to the bed Kurama was already curled up in the centre and snoring lightly. She sighed and slipped in under the blankets trying to work out her plans.

- - - - - _Dream_ - - - - -

"Ne Shika," Naru rolled around on her friend's porch, watching a stray deer graze without a care, "How do you always know what to do?"

"Pft," The lazy strategist was sitting beside her, fanning himself to try and escape the sun's hot rays. "I don't always, but I at least know what I shouldn't do."

"Same thing." She played around with the water in the air, swirling about making different shapes.

"Just observe you surroundings and double check what you already know, it isn't that hard." He yawned. "But then asking you to do anything mentally tasking is usually pointless."

"Hey!" The blond gave an indignant cry.

"It's true, think about your fights. You just rush in headfirst where other people think of a tactic. You improvise, think in the moment. Most of us here can't do that so well." Shikamaru explained. She didn't know whether it was a compliment or not so she left it.

"What if it's not a fight? What if you get in a bad situation that there are just so many options and you don't know what the consequences for your actions will be?" She asked vaguely.

"I have no idea what you're going about… whatever it is it sounds troublesome." He sighed, "When did you start sounding all philosophical?"

"Since the Fourth Shinobi War came knocking on our door. Anything could happen, I just don't want to be stuck somewhere where I don't know what to do." She was stressed and he could tell.

"Well, you always have all of us to fall back on." He said calmly, "I don't think anyone it stupid enough to let you go in alone."

"But what if I do? What if I can't rely on you guys?" Naru pressed.

"Once again, I doubt you will ever get to that point. Even if they're not Konoha's, you have countless allies out there. You will never be alone." There was a strange fierceness in his voice and a protective glint in his eyes.

"Shika…" She moved her attention to the deer that had stopped eating to look around.

"If you ever do get into that situation I'll have to automatically assume we're all dead since that's the only way it'll happen," He continued ignoring her startled look, "Then follow your gut instincts. It's the rawest form of intuition we humans have and it's probably already gotten you out of some tight spots."

"That's it? Just follow what my stomach is telling me to do?" She scrunched her nose up in concentration, "Nothing else?"

"Well in that situation what else could you do?" He shrugged and stood up, dusting his pants off, "Follow whatever hunches you get, observe you surroundings carefully, and make use of what's around you. There's a limit to how far thinking can get you-" the blonde coughed out something that sounded suspiciously like 'always one step ahead' which he pretended not to hear, "And you shouldn't worry needlessly. Go with the flow." He led the stray deer back into the forest in the direction towards its herd.

"You're too laidback." Naru grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah," He waved off her complaint, "It would make the others uneasy if I acted all worried, it's unlike me. That's why you should also return to your cheerful self." She huffed at him before smiling.

"I guess that's right." She moved into a sitting position and motioned for him to sit back down, "Anyway, I came here in the first place to tell you about the next mission. The details are in this scroll and I expect to see you in uniform at the gates tomorrow at 5:00am sharp." She chucked a deep-green scroll at him, a leaf tattoo on her left bicep coming into view.

"Hai Taicho." He gave her a lazy salute pausing as her yawned yet again.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Miyu blinked a couple of times, trying to get back to sleep. It didn't work seeing her biological clock had been waking her up at 4:00am for the past three years. There was an uncomfortable weight on her and she pushed it off, smiling as she heard a surprised yelp.

**_Dammit kit,_** the fox rolled back onto his feet and slapped her with his tail.

"It's your fault for sleeping on top of me." She glared back. Miyu sat up and crossed her legs preparing to meditate. It was better she found out where exactly her chakra levels were right now. "Don't bother me." She told the fox as she settled into slow and steady breathes. She focused on her chakra which was significantly smaller than before and set about improving her circulation. She followed the flow around her body separating the large mass into something small enough to be counted as units. She could feel the nature's energy around her but wasn't tempted to try out her sage mode. Deciding that it was a skill better left till last. Her chakra reserves were no longer as large as she remembered. They we're roughly the same as a newbie chuunin, something that did not bode well with her or her future plans. At least less chakra made it more manageable and her chakra control, no matter how bad it was before, hadn't lowered further.

**_It was already at the bottom so of course it couldn't get worse…_** The fox taunted. Her brow twitched in annoyance but she didn't retaliate.

"So, what should I get to doing first?" She asked. After entering the new timeline there was so much for her to do and she had no idea where to start. Speaking to the Hokage yesterday reminded her of the civil war in Amegakure where Pein would emerge from. If possible she would have to prevent that by somehow saving Konan and Nagato's friend.

**_They would be strong allies, especially the Rinnegan user._** The fox yipped approvingly.

"I don't know when the war is going to end so I should try and get to them as soon as possible, and I'm hardly strong enough to defeat their enemies." She looked at her weak limbs, "I heard that Danzo had a hand in this whole think and sent over heaps of his root agents. I'll be relying on you quite a bit and I know you haven't fully recovered either."

**_We'll make do like always, thinking has never been your strong point so don't start now._** He teased.

"Baka-fox," she shoved him lightly before deciding she had spent enough time in bed, and hoped off. She hardly made a sound when she landed and tried to get a feel for her body. It was awkward at best seeing as she thought her limbs were longer than they actually were.

**_Taijutsu wasn't strong point either, and frankly you're bound to have gotten much worse._**

"I don't even want to think about it. I guess I should start conditioning my body? Should I start with weights?"

**_Better not Kit,_** Kurama answered,**_ you're still growing at the moment so you might stunt your growth._**

"So what can I do?" She asked.

**_Stamina training, chakra exercises… feel free to use some resistance seals._**

"I don't have any ink or a brush." Miyu wouldn't mind putting the seals on now, since there wasn't anything better to do until Minato woke up. The fox waved its tail around and pointed at her arm.

**_We'll just have to use old fashioned methods. We'll use your blood and I'll write it on for you. _**She nodded and searched the room for a small jar before biting her wrist and letting the blood flow out. She got a decent amount before her arm automatically healed up.

"Here ya go. You remember the seals I used to use right?"

**_Of course, who do you think I am?_** He yipped indignantly.

"The great Kyuubi no Kitsune, yeah, yeah." Miyu answered sarcastically, "Now come on, get it over with." He grumbled as much as a fox could and dipped the tip of his tail into her blood. In quick deft strokes he drew five identical seals, on the inside of each wrist, on her ankles and one on the back of her neck.

**_Done, now you just have to activate them._** He sat down and began cleaning his tail by licking the blood off.

"Does it even taste that good?" Miyu asked in curiosity.

**_As a matter of fact yes. You humans always cook your food so you wouldn't understand the taste of fresh blood and flesh._** She just stared as he moved onto lapping the left over blood, enjoying it like the carnivore he was.

"Right then," She pushed a small amount of chakra into each seal and tried to move around a bit. Nothing substantial yet, it just felt as if her movements were being hindered by the air itself. "Alright, there working now." The seal itself glowed dully and she waited for it to fade before rubbing the blood off, the resistance seals permanently in place."You need to get washed off…" Miyu said glancing at the fox whose muzzle had traces of blood. The jar itself though was sparkling clean.

**_How's your elemental control? _**Kurama asked. Miyu concentrated long and hard trying to conjure up some water but failed with only a slightly damp mist that made him sneeze.

"No good." She looked at her small hands in frustration, before sighing and shaking her head. "Well, let's go find a sink and get you washed up." She wandered out of the room and to the kitchen where after a few splashes the fox was cleaned of blood.

"Miyu? You're already awake?" A sleepy Minato trudged into the kitchen after them wearing only a pair of baggy black pants.

"I'm an early riser!" She chirped back.

"I see," He let out a loud yawn before searching through his cupboards. "You up for breakfast… though we only have instant ramen…"

"Ramen!" Miyu drooled as he brought out several different flavours.

"Well then I guess we'll be eating ramen then. I was worried you'd get sick of it." Minato started boiling water for delicious noodles.

"Get sick of it?" She uttered horrified, "Ramen is the food of the gods! How could anyone get sick of it?"

"I absolutely agree with you!" The jounin exclaimed. Ku snorted and proceeded to hop out of the window after a few yips. "Where's he going?"

"Ah, Ku-chan doesn't like instant ramen so he went hunting for breakfast." Miyu exclaimed, watching excitedly as the first few batches were made.

"I hope he doesn't attack the Nara's deer." Minato worried before downing his first cup.

"He knows better and he only eats wild animals." Miyu replied. In her timeline the Naras had taken a drastic and much needed measure, using their prized deer as provisions for the then homeless civilians and fighting ninja. The whole herd was gone in a month.

"So, we should probably go shopping today… you're going to need some new clothes." She couldn't go around just wearing his old clothes. They'd have to get something more proper. "We'll go check the village after breakfast. I'll have to bring my team along as well, Rin will enjoy it and Kakashi needs to get out of his apartment."

"Un!" She smiled brightly and slurped down the remainder of her breakfast, ready to go.

They spent the trip to Rin's apartment idly chatting about their likes and dislikes which were frighteningly similar. Once they arrived his female student had been appalled that he had let Miyu out in public wearing such a horrid shirt, even more so when the child admitted to liking the design. The also picked up Kakashi, who was reluctant, but came anyway. For most part of the trip he just stared around disinterestedly, wanting to stay back at his home for his day off. Miyu was the opposite, soaking in all the sights like a starved man would eye a meal. The buildings, the people, the unmarred landscape, she memorized them all for a second time.

"You really like this village." Rin commented, smiling at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Yep! I love Konoha!" She stopped by a weapon shop and eyed their wares

"Miyu, in here!" Minato led her over to a large clothing store and quickly went about browsing.

"Hey Rin," Kakashi turned to his teammate, "Don't you think those two look related somehow?" His eyes flicked between the jounin and soon to be academy student.

"Now that you mention it they do have a lot of similarities. I mean Minato-sensei's hair colour is quite unique in fire country and she has the exact same shade. The Yamanakas don't count since their hair is usually platinum blonde. They have similar facial structures as well, but I can't really tell since Miyu's still a kid." Rin seemed to be thinking pretty hard, "Their eye colours are also fairly alike, but Miyu's is a shade greener than blue." Both of Minato's students watched the cheerful interaction between the two blondes.

"It isn't completely unlikely for someone Sensei's age to have a young child…" Kakashi trailed off.

"I can go ask some of the nurses at the hospital if you want." Rin offered, "They have samples of her blood which we can compare to see if they're related." The boy nodded showing his approval. There was no way two people so similar wouldn't be related.

"Rin! Kakashi! Get over here!" their sensei called. Both students stopped their conversation and came over.

"What is it?" The medic asked.

"Doesn't she look adorable!?" He pointed over at Miyu who was dressed in an orange turtleneck and a pleated black skirt.

"That won't do at all!" Rin exclaimed quickly sifting through some other clothing racks. "She should wear something like this!" In a flash the girl had been changed into a cute orange summer dress. Kakashi eyed the glint of the silver rings around her neck, wondering why they looked so familiar.

"She wants to be a ninja so get her something practical," Kakashi sighed. He pulled out a pair of black pants and a matching top.

"Eh?" Minato and Rin cried, "But that's boring!"

"There's no orange…" Miyu muttered looking down at the black clothes in her hands. She didn't mind the pants though so she would keep them.

"Well we're definitely keeping the dress." Rin replaced the black top with the summer dress.

"I like this one!" Miyu pulled out an orange sleeveless hoodie that was trimmed with black.

"Then we'll get it," Minato decided adding a couple more of his own choices to the pile. "Uh, Rin… could I get you to find Miyu some…uh…undergarments?" The jounin requested.

"Of course!" Rin pulled the girl over to the back of the store and began sifting through different articles. "These should do for now." She said placing a mixture of orange, black and blue items in the girl's hands, "Though you'll have to come back here when you're older."

"Ok." Miyu replied, skipping back over to where Minato was already paying for the clothes. "How much is it?"

"Don't worry I'll be paying for it." Minato smiled.

"But-"

"It's just clothes, plus they're cheap." She didn't want to start an argument so she resigned to letting the jounin pay, reminding herself to pay him back when she could.

"Oh shoot!" Rin exclaimed looking up at a clock on the shop wall, "I need to get to work!" She bid the group farewell and dashed off.

"Since we're done I'll be leaving too-" Kakashi turned to leave but a strong hand grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

"Not so fast Kakashi~" Minato had an almost frightening smile on his face, "I need to pick up some groceries so while I'm gone, show Miyu around Konoha." The silver haired boy sighed, but agreed knowing there was no way for him to refuse.

* * *

**A/N **Once again, thanks for ready.

I hope you all enjoyed Shika's appearance here and you can look forward to more flashbacks/dreams explaining her past.

If you were wondering about Naru's skill levels, she was a sage like the canon, and now you know she was also an Anbu. The flashback would've been around when she was 17ish.

Look forward to more of these little snapshots~

Ah, the polls are going pretty well, though at this rate it looks like she won't be getting herself a harem hahahaha. At the most she might get two guys...but it's fairly obvious who one of them will be... Please review if your super against or for her getting love from two guys.

Other than that please review cause it makes me happy...and really motivated.


	4. Mission Start

**A/N** Yo!

Ahem... to the reviewer Captain Pancake... Ahahaha I love ya dude (...seriously). I don't know if any of that will actually happen in this story, but if it doesn't I will write another one, specifically for that.

For those who have no idea what's going on, that just means if you're unhappy with the story's final pairing I will happily write another fic with different pairings~

Anyway, you're finally going to see some changes in the next couple of chapters (not so much this one) so I hope you will all stick around!

So, here's the next chapter.

* * *

**~Chapter 3 - MISSION START**

"Where would you like to go?" The rather socially inept boy asked.

"Anywhere, should be fine." Miyu replied with a shrug. She had no idea how she should act in front of the younger Kakashi, and to make matters worse she was alone since Kurama was still off hunting. Before leaving with Kakashi she had changed into the dress Rin had suggested, seeing as she couldn't keep walking around in Minato's old shirt. The weather was fine as well, the sun shining down brightly. She fiddled with the chain around her neck, noticing it was different from the old ones that used to carry the matching rings, and wondered where the fox got it from.

"So, those rings are important to you?" Kakashi asked after a long silence.

"Yes," She replied softly her eyes full of various emotions, "They're very precious to me." The boy tried to identify her expressive eyes but only managed to pick out sadness before they were buried once again. They continued to walk until Kakashi suddenly stopped, and looked around nervously. "Are you okay?" Miyu asked, inwardly curious at seeing the panicked side of Kakashi.

"Shh!" He covered her mouth rather desperately though he was trying to hide it. "He'll hear you." The blonde was completely confused and was tempted to shout just to find out who this person was. Turns out she didn't need to.

"KAKASHI!" Came a booming voice as some ran towards them. Whoever it was, they must've been running quite fast to create clouds of dust in their wake. "My eternal rival!" Kakashi swore under his breath cursing Minato for dragging him out of his apartment. Miyu's eyes visibly widened as a green-spandex wearing teen with a bowl cut and defined eyebrows skidded to a stop in from of them. "I am here to offer my condolences!" The silver haired teen briefly wondered if he could shout any louder.

"Uh, thanks…" The boy answered awkwardly. It seemed this Kakashi hadn't found a way to deal with Gai yet. Miyu at least found his presence warming and comforting, something she missed when he was gone.

"No problem! It's the least I can do. I heard that your flames of youth have dimmed and came precisely to fan the fires back up to their former glory!" He ranted on passionately until finally taking notice of his rival's companion. "And who is this youthful looking miss? You must introduce me, my rival!"

"Ah, this is Uzunami Miyu." Kakashi replied. "She's new to Konoha."

"Mmf fu meef oo." Kakashi realised his hand still covered her mouth so he quickly removed it. "Nice to meet you." Miyu repeated.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Gai said in his usual loud voice, "I am Maito Gai, Konoha's sublime green beast and Hatake Kakashi's eternal rival!" Miyu wondered if she should also try to get a cool nickname this time around but quickly pushed the thought away. "That being said, Kakashi, I challenge you to a duel!"

"Um, I don't think he's in any condition to spar…" Miyu said truthfully, knowing he had been injured in the last mission.

"It's fine there are various other ways to compete!" He continued undeterred, "How about a game of wit? Or shall we test our luck again?" He just wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Um, could I suggest something?" Miyu asked cutely, Kakashi giving her a wary look, "It's a game that will test your mental endurance."

"What is it?" The Hatake asked.

"It's who can stay silent for the longest." He instantly perked up at the idea.

"How will this help?" Gai questioned, quite confused.

"What if you're on a mission and you need to be super sneaky? Then you'll have to practice keeping quiet right?" Her logic was flawless.

"That is actually a very youthful idea. Kakashi let us both try this game! And, if I cannot defeat you I will run a hundred laps around Konoha…" The boy nodded in agreement as his self-proclaimed rival went off on another rant. "…And if I cannot do that I will climb the Hokage monument with only my fingertips-"

"I think we should begin." Kakashi hastily cut him off and awaited the peace that was sure to come.

* * *

"Welcome back you two!" Minato quickly ushered in his student and his newest charge. "Kakashi you'll be staying for dinner today~" Once again his student was unable to decline and thus found himself sitting comfortably on the couch. Miyu was idly twirling her long hair, wondering why Ku still hadn't returned. Contrary to popular belief, neither of the ramen loving blondes exclusively ate the delicious noodles. After all, it was important for a ninja to get enough nutrition in their diet. That's why today, Minato was standing over the stove in an apron, making a curry of some sort. "So did you have fun Miyu?"

"Mmhm, I made a very youthful friend and he's going to help me with taijutsu… as soon as he finishes his laps!" Of course Gai had lost the mentally 'challenging' game, and apparently the score was 51-49 in Kakashi's favour.

"Kakashi, you didn't…" The blonde jounin uttered in disbelief. His student put his hands up defensively,

"It's not like I was expecting him to be looking for me, and no matter what you can't really avoid him…" He curled up depressingly.

"I like him!" Miyu decided to add, "He seems like a good person,"

"Gai is a good boy," Minato agreed, "But he is slightly eccentric." Both males were surprised that she didn't mind the spandex-wearing teen where most would be running in fear.

"But he's interesting! And very… youthful!" She smiled brightly. Even if this wasn't her correct time, and even if nobody knew her, it was always nice to see a familiar face. A soft thumping sounded at the door, jolting her from her thoughts while Kakashi got up to answer it.

"Gah!"

"What is it?!" Minato wondered what could have frightened the stoic teen. He walked around Kakashi and opened the door only to come face to face with a tiger's maw.

"Ahhh!"

"Ku-chan!" Miyu ran to the door and by now Kakashi and Minato realised that the tiger wasn't even alive anymore. Looking closer Minato saw it had been eaten rather neatly and carried back by the fox.

**_I brought back a gift kit~_** He was in a good mood after a very successful hunt.

"Since when could foxes take down tigers? Especially one as big as this, it looks like one of the overgrown animals in the Forest of Death." Kakashi mused.

**_That's because it is._** The fix yipped back. Through the carcass was several times his own size he had no trouble lugging it through the village, unnoticed as well.

"What did he say?" Minato asked the girl.

"She can understand it?" Kakashi responded in surprise.

"Yeah, and apparently her mother told her that Ku was her ninken."

"Ah," the boy could relate seeing as he had his own pack. "But still, to take down this tiger…"

"Ku likes eating other carnivores," Miyu explained, "they taste better and he likes the thrill of battle."

"Really now?" Minato wondered, "Well come on in, we can't have the neighbours notice and start worrying." He helped to drag the ridiculously large remains onto his kitchen floor where it just stayed for lack of anywhere better to go. "Until this is clean we are definitely not placing it anywhere near the carpet." He waved a ladle around threateningly, and both Miyu and Ku nodded in reply, slightly afraid of the blonde in the frilly pink apron.

* * *

After dinner, Kakashi left for his own apartment and Miyu went to bed exhausted. Today was just too tiring for her younger, untrained body. She would probably have to do monstrous amounts of training if she hoped to protect anyone. **_Goodnight kit,_** Kurama conveyed.

"Goodnight to you too." She yawned tiredly and slipped under the covers.

- - - - - _Dream_ - - - - -

"Shh!" Her companion hushed her as they stalked their target, hidden stealthily in the bushes. Naru nodded tensely and waited for the signal. The man counted down on his fingers before rapidly making a series of hand signs. Out of the bushes jumped a white blur, fiercely attacking the target and she was given the signal.

"Now!" The man shouted, readying his kunai. The white blue was flung off but it had given her enough time to catch her target. She struggled slightly to keep its maw shut long enough for her companion to finish it off She heard the quick slash and the spray of blood, sighing in relief as its thrashing lessened before it finally died. She stepped back, marvelling at the white tiger that had died, the slit in its neck, staining its fur.

"Haa, that was nerve wracking." Naru wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You did good." The man complimented, "Usually it's a lot harder with only me and Akamaru." He gave a short bark and the white blur returned showing and extremely large dog.

"Kiba, remind me why we're doing this again." The girl sighed.

"The forest of death is a pretty big food source as well, and we need provisions." The Inuzuka shrugged.

"I don't think they would appreciate eating tiger though." He waved off her worries.

"Like they'll ever have to know. Meat is meat." His partner barked in agreement.

"But this will last us for a while." She was slightly relieved, it's not like they had any other choice. Food was beginning to get scarce, there was no time to get picky.

"I know right." Kiba smiled cheerfully, "Now come here, I'll show you how to skin it." While Akamaru busied himself chasing colourful butterflies, Kiba guided her hand, giving her hints here and there about what to do.

"It' feels really weird." She commented pulling her hand out to see it covered in blood.

"You'll get used to it." He looked at the tiger's hide and gave her a thumbs up, "Not bad for a first timer."

"Thanks." She wiped off her dirty kunai and began helping him remove the meat from the bones. "So what do we do with the guts?"

"Leave it out for the scavengers." He smirked ferally, "We should fatten them up in case we run out of tigers." She shook her head in defeat, but couldn't deny his logic. Akamaru came back for a rather large femur, while he owner searched around on the forest floor.

"What are you looking for?" Naru asked curiously.

"Ah, Shino said he was searching for a rare bug in this forest before and he couldn't find it." He answered, "I was going to see if I could find it. I already have the general description."

"You two get along well." She told him truthfully.

"Nah," The dog-boy blushed, "In the beginning we fought all the time, though Hinata would always bring us back together."

"That was years ago." Naru pointed out.

"Hahahh, I guess you're right." Kiba accepted, "Shino's just a pretty cool guy. It was only after we both threw our pride away that I started to understand him. I think it was on a mission just after we got chuunin."

"I'm just glad you stopped annoying Hinata with your ridiculous fights." Naru pulled out her sealing equipment to safely store the meat.

"Yeah," He thought back fondly, "Now come on, hurry up! I'll race you back. I bet Kakashi's moping around being all lonely without you."

"He's a grown man." She hit him playfully with more power than she intended and sent him sprawling.

"Ow! That freakin' hurt!" He growled picking himself up.

"Ah, sorry about that," She laughed, "I've been training with Sakura lately." Now Kiba was the one moping around, rubbing his bruised nose.

"Well, come on, I'll race you." Naru agreed trying to get his spirits back up. It worked and he was excited all over again.

"Yes! I swear this time I'll beat you. Let's get going Akamaru!" He and his ninken dashed off without any more warning.

"Well that was sudden." She blinked a couple of times before a smirk stretched across her face and she disappeared in a yellow flash.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

_More dreams…_Naru slowly got up and stretched her arms up. Hearing a satisfying crack she let them fall back to the sides before padding to the kitchen. Kurama was still sleeping on her bed so she let while she got to work, eyeing the dead beast on the floor. Fingering a kitchen knife she got to work, skinning the tiger with practised ease. She sealed the skin away to wash later on and began removing flesh, soon all the was left were a couple of bones which she could probably give Kakashi the next time he came… or maybe even make a trip to the Inuzuka. She cursed having to stand on her tip-toes to clean up the area before opening several drawers and the fridge. She pulled out a small amount of ingredients and chucked them in a pot with the remaining tiger meat, listening to the satisfying sizzle.

That day Minato smelled stew when he woke up, and followed his nose to the kitchen. "Miyu? What are making?"

"Stew!" She pulled out a pair of bowls and gave each of them a generous amount.

"It smells great." The older blonde said in appreciation.

"I hope it tastes alright." Miyu tried some herself and smiled at the nostalgic taste.

"It tastes better than it smells." Minato said after his first bite. He looked towards his kitchen which had been cleaned up nicely when a thought hit him. "Hm? Where did the tiger go?" Miyu continued eating, watching as Kurama finally trudged out only to fall back asleep on her lap.

"I cleaned up, since Ku brought in the mess anyway." She answered. He was thankful but ultimately still curious.

"But that thing was huge, where did you put it?" It sure as hell wouldn't fit in the dumpster around the corner. He didn't even know if she would be able to move the thing.

"Well I skinned it and I still have the bones with me…"

"But what happened to the rest of it?"

"…" She stared pointedly at her bowl which was almost empty.

"…you put it in the stew didn't you…?" She nodded and watched as he stared impassively at his meal. He contemplated for a long while before shrugging and polishing his bowl off. "Well it tastes fine and in the end meat is meat…" He looked back towards the pot, "Do you mind if I give some to my students?"

"No, that's fine." In fact she was happy he wanted to share, ignoring the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Do you think you can give the bones to the Inuzuka?"

"Sure, I think their ninken will be happy. Where did you put them?" Miyu pulled out a scroll and handed it to him, "A sealing scroll. No, it seems a little different." Being the seal master he was, Minato couldn't help but analyse the pattern, "A preservation seal? Where did you find this?" Miyu nudged the fox awake and put him on the table.

"Ku likes to horde things in his fur." She stated.

**_I don't horde, I collect,_** He corrected, **_and the items are for you anyway. _**She nudged him and he searched his fluffy neck for another scroll. He was lucky and tossed the object to the jounin.

"But where did it get the scrolls from." Ku yipped an answer while Miyu translated.

"He said there were dead people in the forest so he took some of their belongings." Minato nodded in acceptance, seeing as ninja frequently died in the forest of death. "So you know how to activate the scrolls then?"

"Yep, you just push in a bit of chakra." It was a quite a simple thing, used regularly to store food.

"Alright, why don't you go visit the Hokage and bring him some stew?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"Why?"

"You need to tell him to register Ku since you said he was your ninken, and since his busy with paperwork he could probably use a break." Minato explained, "Then take your time and explore the village, by yourself this time. I trust you won't get lost."

"Mmhm." She left her seat and searched the cupboards for a thermos to put the food in. She found a regular sized one next to the sink and began ladling the delicious mixture in.

* * *

"So Minato sent you here then Miyu-chan?" Sarutobi asked with a warm smile. He gently pushed away the stack of papers blocking his view. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm supposed to register Ku because he's my ninken!" The blonde child chirped.

"Your ninken, huh," The old man mused, "That's quite surprising. I'll make sure to note it down."

"And!" She pulled the thermos out of Ku's fur, "Minato-san said to give you some food, since you need a break!"

"How thoughtful," He accepted the thermos with a grin, "What's in it?"

"Stew, I made it this morning." Miyu answered. The Hokage unscrewed the lid, smelling the scent of the still hot meal. "Here, this as well." She handed him a spoon from one of her own pockets, waiting eagerly for his response. Too bad the Sandaime in her time had died before eating tiger meat.

"It's good." He exclaimed, slightly surprised, "What ingredient did you use?"

"The usual, carrots, onions, squash, herbs, butter, oil, garlic…" She thought hard about the other items she had used.

"And the meat? It doesn't look like pork or beef and it's definitely not chicken." It was strange he had aged so much yet had never tried this before.

"Oh! It's tiger meat!" She answered.

"Tiger?" The old man stared at the peculiar choice of protein.

"Yep, tiger!"

"Where did you even get it?" He asked utterly shocked.

"Ku went hunting in the forest in the village." He blinked in disbelief, how could such a small fox take on those overgrown beasts.

"Well, it does taste wonderful," He sighed and decided to finish his meal. Miyu beamed at the compliment. "But please stop your fox from hunting too often."

"Hai." She saluted and looked at Kurama to make sure he understood. The fox gave a reluctant nod.

"Perfect. Though I'd better get back to my paperwork…" Sarutobi continued grudgingly, "Feel free to stop by any time you want, Miyu-chan."

"Un!" She skipped back down the stairs ridiculously happy, passing a smiling receptionist and heading back into the streets.

* * *

**_Kit I think we should start on that mission,_** Kurama advised as the two slowly wandered into the forest, away from prying eyes.

"I agree." Her eyes narrowed as she scanned her surroundings for anything dubious before putting her hands together, crossing over her index and middle fingers. A soft poof, as well as pink smoke accompanied a completely identical clone. "Quick, turn around." She commanded. The replica did as told, also holding up its hair so its neck was visible. Miyu quickly drew a seal in blood and activated it, feeling a large chunk of her chakra disappear.

**_Now that's done we need to get moving._** The fox urged.

"You know what to do right?" She asked her clone.

"Of course boss!" It responded.

"Good, take care all right." Miyu disappeared into the undergrowth with the fox while the clone walked back onto the street as if nothing had happened.

* * *

**A/N** Finally things are getting started!

I hope you enjoyed the Kiba/Naru dream. This would have been during the war, near the beginning, before things started going bad. Naru is out of Anbu here and Kiba is about the level of an Anbu recruit. You can imagine most of the Konoha 11 aroung this level as well.

The dreams will continue and I hope to show you a lot of moments between Naru and her friends. I'll also try to relate them with the story. This time it had to do with tigers, more specifically ones from the Forest of Death.

It will take a while, since I'm still getting the story line set but after there will be time skips where she's older, something to look forward to!

Once again thank-you for reading, please review, and I'll try to update soon :D


	5. Phase One: Complete

**A/N **Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings from the land down under!

I hope you're all enjoying the holiday and if it isn't too much trouble reviews would be a great present...

I guess with this story things are really starting to hit off. I'm really excited to keep writing but I feel like the whole 'Ninetails Attack' is going to stump me a bit.

Aside from that the polls are going well. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE! And though I fell like the winners already been chosen, I'll leave it up for quite a few more chapters.

But enough of that, I'll let you get reading~

* * *

**~Chapter 4 - PHASE ONE: COMPLETE**

"How much of your power have you restored?" Miyu asked her companion as the dashed through the forest, hurry out of Fire country.

**_Around 60%,_** came the foxes reply. The girl sighed.

"It'll have to do." She held up her left hand in the tiger seal, "Restriction level 1 release." The fox grew bigger, about to the size of a large horse, and had another tail added on.

**_I feel stronger already. _**He stretched his muscles and pawed the ground, before nudging the girl onto his back. **_ I hate having humans on me but you're an exception…_**

"I love you too Kurama-chan." Miyu said scratching behind his ears pleasantly. The fox let out a low whine and shivered with pleasure.

**_Kit, kit… stop, we need to get going…_** He was reluctant but at least knew they had more important things to be doing.

"You're right," The blonde admitted, "Let's see now… Kagehenge!" A poof of pink gas surrounded her and when it dissipated she was in her nineteen year-old body and her old Anbu uniform, her hair tied up in a high ponytail with a silver ribbon.

**_You're not going to mask your face?_** Kurama asked as he ran.

"No, I'll let them see me and maybe they will find a connection with my younger body if we ever meet again. I also know people don't usually trust masks, it can be unnerving." The fox gave a curt nod, accepting her reason. "But we should hurry, I don't know the exact timeline, so for all we know we could be too late. I hope we get there in time." Miyu prayed, leaning into the fox's fur.

**_If you're that worried why don't you teleport us there then?_** He replied in her mind, **_you didn't actually forget about it…right? _**

"…of course not." The time traveller said unconvincingly. "I was planning to … save my strength for the battle."

**_I'll be the one doing most of the work so feel free to use it. It's probably better that way, after all the run to Ame might wear me down. _**She listened to the fox's advice, directing her chakra to her eyes. Blue bled into red as her Sharingan was pushed past the first level and the three black tomoes swirled into a new pattern. Hey chakra surged and the area around her distorted before they both vanished from view.

* * *

"Ah! Shit!" Miyu tried to keep her presence low as she literally free fell through the air, still on the back of the enlarged fox.

**_You know what kit,_** the fox did the animal equivalent of a sigh, **_we would never have gotten in this sort of situation if you had practised your Sharingan more!_** He certainly didn't like the idea of falling several hundred metres onto rocky grounds.

"Shut up! And stop complaining!" She growled back. He should know full well by now that she hated using 'her' Sharingan. "Anyway we need a plan quick." Looking down she could see two tiny dots, probably Nagato and… was it Yahiko? While on top of a cliff facing them was Hanzo the Salamander, holding Konan hostage, with a sea of ninja behind him.

**_So, have you got anything?_** Kurama asked quickly, not wanting to ruin the element of surprise that they had. Miyu shrugged, hardly reassuring him.

"I'll release some more of your power and you'll fall into the middle of the army and take out as many ninja as possible. Meanwhile I'll free Konan and take on Hanzo. If they have any sense in them Yahiko and Nagato will join the fight soon enough."

**_So basically charge in and wreak havoc?_** The fox simplified with an eager grin.

"Exactly." She grinned back, "Restriction level 4, release!" Kurama felt a surge as a large amount of his power returned. His body grew again, several times his current size, and an added three tails sprouted.

**_This is what I'm talking about!_** He let out a deafening roar and she released her hold. Being much bigger than before, he of course fell much faster, landing in the midst of surprised and frightened ninja.

"What the hell!"

"Gah!"

**_Roar~_** Kurama thought while preforming another devastating wail.

"Shit! Get outta the way!"

"Where the fuck did the giant fox come from?!"

"Just get out of the way!"

"Someone explain what the fuck is going on!" Hanzo shouted, glaring at the fox that was panicking his well-organized army. Many of his soldiers had already fallen, and at the rate the feral animal was attacking, things were just getting started.

"Isn't it obvious?" came a serene voice from behind. He quickly turned his body back, flicking out a kunai towards the speaker. "Oya, oya, you should watch were you're throwing."

"Who the hell are you?" He growled out at the new arrival. The, frankly stunning, blonde kunoichi stared back with a hint of mischievousness in her eyes. Eyes which held the Sharingan, and no ordinary one at that. He hissed with dissatisfaction.

"I wonder," She put a finger to her chin in thought and he suddenly noticed the loss of his hostage who was now unconscious in her arms, "I really don't have a good answer to that question right now."

"What are you talking about? Who are you and what are you doing here?! And where the hell did the fox come from?!" Kurama was naturally doing a great job. He easily repelled any kunai or shuriken with his tails, though they wouldn't do much damaged regardless, and fired back with his own torrents of flames. She could hear the screams as well as the splatter of blood and had no doubt in mind that he was enjoying it.

"For now let's just say I'm a vagrant shinobi here to save the damsel in distress." She carelessly threw the blue haired woman over the cliff and out of the way, sure that her friends would come to catch her. "And didn't you see? The fox and I fell from the sky."

"Argh! I don't have time for this you ignorant child!" He watched as his only hostage disappeared from view, "Die! And get out of my way! Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Ibuse!" A large dark brown salamander appeared underneath him, hissing and growling at his next opponent.

"You live up to your name Salamander~" Miyu taunted. She inwardly hoped that he wasn't the type to get stronger when angry, otherwise she would have no chance defeating the man who had overpowered the Sannins.

"Ibuse, Dokugiri!" Hanzo commanded. The quicker he got rid of the nuisance the sooner Amegakure would be under his control. The giant salamander exhaled a toxic purple gas that would almost instantly paralyze its victims. _Get out of there Kurama, _Miyu projected,_ I'm about to knock out his army._

"Fuuton – Daitoppa!" With about double the normal amount of needed chakra she blew out a gust of air, sweeping past the poisonous cloud and sending it back. Of course Hanzo and his summon were not affected but the same couldn't be said about the ninja behind him. She'd have to thank his anger that he had momentarily forgotten his surroundings, focusing all of his attention on her.

**_I was having fun though… _**Kurama whined as he appeared beside her. He was already much bigger than Hanzo's salamander and frankly had the advantage.

"Get rid of Ibuse for me," Miyu ordered, "If it takes enough damage it'll return back to the summons realm."

**_I'd be glad to. I've never been one for amphibians anyway._** The snarled intimidatingly at the salamander, baring his teeth and clawing the ground.

"I'm going to need some time, so until then don't let them touch me!" She was confident that the Kyuubi no Kitsune, even in his weakened form would be able to hold Hanzo off. Meanwhile she poured all her concentration into focusing her chakra into her right hand. Bright sparks shot off it but nothing substantial yet. The fox held its breath and dashed in, swiping at the summon and aiming to spear it with one of its tails. Hanzo fended the tails off diligently with the blade of a sickle-like weapon while the amphibian dodged with surprising agility,

**_Stand still would you?_** Kurama growled out in irritation. He would probably need to breathe soon and didn't want to stand next to the poisonous creature any longer. The next time it breathed out the gas would be its last.

"Again!" Hanzo commanded after the five minutes he needed were up, "Dokugiri!"

**_Perfect~_** The fox arched his back before rearing back and shooting a large fireball into the fray. The cloud of poison ignited and Hanzo was thrown off his mount which was now writhing and screeching as it burned. The fox laughed wildly in yips and yowls as the fires brushed harmlessly across its fur. **_That'll teach you to go up against me! The great Kyuubi no Kitsune!_** Miyu ignored his gloating as her preparation were finished and stared into the explosion's smoke for her target. Her Sharingan easily found him around some rubble, kneeling and possibly badly injured. She lowered her stance slightly before dashing forward, her arm covered in blue electricity, shaping it like a blade. She wouldn't give him a chance to recover or escape, happy enough that the explosion trick had caught him.

* * *

"Gahk!" Hanzo didn't know where he had gone wrong. Everything had been planned out perfectly. He had a hostage and within moments he would've have been the sole ruler of Amegakure. If only that blonde wretch hadn't appeared, literally out of nowhere, with her bastard of a fox, and begun to ruin his perfect scheme. Instead he had watched as the monster destroyed his personal army, though half of the men were Danzo's Root which war hawk had happily lent. He shouldn't have gone down so easily, Hanzo reasoned with himself. If only he hadn't fallen for her taunting and collected himself enough to form a counterattack, even a retreat would have been better.

He was Hanzo of the Salamander, who had beaten the three legendary Sannin and had named them thus, how could he have fallen at the hands of this weak girl? Thin yet muscled arms, a flexible wrist and delicate fingers, all currently stabbed through his chest and most importantly, his heart.

"Raiton – Raikiri." Miyu whispered as the man slumped over. She withdrew her hand, not even blinking at the slick sounds and chunks of flesh that came with it, before letting him fall onto the floor. Looking carefully, a good half his body had already been burnt beyond recognition with little chance of ever being used again, and his mask had cracked in several places. She grabbed the chain beside her and pulled until the sickle end came into view, noting that the blade had also been poisoned.

**_Kit, I'm going to have to refill my energy reserves,_** She heard Kurama think somewhere in the distance,**_ I'll be having lunch right now, if you don't mind. _**_That's fine,_she replied, _but leave the ones that are still alive._ She heard him give the mental equivalent of a nod before stalking off.

"Now, back to business." She held the blade to the dead man's throat before cutting cleanly through it, only struggling when she hit the spine. Preforming the necessary procedure she sealed Hanzo's head into a scroll before leaving to find her next targets. She found all three by the bottom of the cliff, trying to awaken their female teammate, oblivious to the whole fight which had just ended. "Konichiwa." Miyu greeted, appearing next to them in a swirl of leaves. Instantly the two males were on red alert, Yahiko jumping up to defend, while Nagato protected the unconscious Konan.

"Who are you?" the de facto leader asked while holding up a kunai.

"I am Miyu." She answered truthfully. If they ever did find while she was in Konoha… well she would deal with it then, "But putting the questions aside for now, I think you would want your teammate awake." She clapped her hand twice and released a pulse of chakra, "Kai."

"Ngh?" Konan stirred before pushing herself up and blinking sleepily.

"Konan!" He teammates exhaled in relief, happy she hadn't been harmed.

"Now all three of you are awake I'd personally like to congratulate you on your new leadership." She said with a smile. It would help a lot if they weren't as hostile towards her since she didn't know if she could continue to battle. That being said she deactivated her eyes which had slowly but surely been draining away the lasts of her energy. "So Konan-chan, I hope you're feeling ok."

"Hai." The blue haired woman answered positively with a small smile, "Thank you very much for saving all of us."

"Do you know her?" Yahiko asked, surprised she was being so friendly.

"No, I just met her today." The woman replied.

"Does it have something to do with the Sharingan?" Nagato questioned warily, "I've heard rumours that it has amazing Genjutsu ability." This seemed to worry Yahiko and he quickly began to examine the girl.

"Well yes," Miyu answered, "But I'm fairly sure what I did wasn't detrimental in anyway."

"And what exactly did you do?" He pressed.

"I used Tsukuyomi on her, one of the most powerful genjutsus in existence. Basically we shared a conversation in her mind that, while it only seemed like a couple of seconds, felt like around 74 hours."

"And what did you talk about?" The redhead asked guardedly.

"The possible alliance between Ame and Konoha." She finished.

"What! Are you out of your mind?" Yahiko exclaimed, "Didn't you see? Half of that army was from Konoha. Hell, the reason Ame is so bad off is because the previous war we had with Konohagakure!"

"Maa maa, let's calm down," She put her hands up in defence, "Putting the war aside, Konoha never sided with Hanzo. Shimura Danzo did. And I was here to fix that wasn't I?"

"So then you're a Konoha kunoichi."

"She is." Konan replied, "And by the way, I agree with the idea of an alliance."

"Why?" Nagato asked, "What else did she tell you?"

"Well it's almost certain Konoha will agree and if we're allies we will not have to face each other. I've heard enough rumours of Konoha's Yellow Flash and of some clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha to know we will not win another confrontation." She explained.

"How do you know Konoha will agree to this?" Yahiko asked "Since we're the ones who will be proposing this alliance I assume the Hokage has no idea of it?" Miyu nodded.

"You're correct, but I can be certain because Konoha has nothing to lose here. You are aware of the Third Shinobi War between Konohagakure and Iwagakure, right? " She waited for their nods before continuing, "Well during this time of need Konoha will want all the allies it can get."

"Why would we be foolish enough to ally with them in a war?" Nagato questioned, "Ame doesn't have enough shinobi to spare against the likes of Suna and Iwa."

"You won't need to worry about that," She clarified, "I will provide them."

"How?" Yahiko wondered how this girl could easily get at least a hundred ninja ready in time.

"She's thinking we could use Hanzo's army. At least the half that is still alive." Konan answered.

"I can fix their loyalties as well, which means you'll be able to keep some Root members and I assure you they are as strong as ordinary Anbu." The blonde shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"How are you going to 'fix' their loyalties?" Nagato asked sceptically.

"I can put a seal on their bodies or hypnotize them with the Sharingan. Either way works."

"Then how do we know you haven't hypnotized Konan?" he challenged.

"You don't." She said seriously, "I didn't have to go through the trouble of saving her either, but I thought you'd appreciate it."

"And we do, so thank you for that." Yahiko spoke sincerely before grabbing his friend's attention, "And look Nagato, she doesn't look like she's under any influence." They both took a long while to stare at the rather stoic girl.

"I'm fine." The bluenette reassured.

**_Kit, I'm done. _**Kurama stood atop the cliff, looking down at the four humans, **_what now?_** _Come down here and I'll introduce you._He nodded and the fox nimble scaled the cliff edge, landing next to the group, his already red fur glistening with blood.

"Wha- A fox?!" Yahiko stepped away from the feral looking animal.

"This is my partner Ku." Miyu introduced, "Don't worry, he would never attack a comrade." The three Ame shinobi heard the hidden warning in her words.

"This alliance," Yahiko began after a tense silence, "Could we have time to think it over?"

"Three days," Miyu gave, "That's how long it will take to convert these ninja's and that is also roughly how long I'll be able to stay." He thought it over before nodding rather reluctantly.

* * *

"So your answer?" Miyu asked, tilting her head to the side. These past few days they had been quite hospitable, providing adequate accommodation as well as a guide. Slowly but surely she had worked her way through Hanzo's leftover army, changing their allegiances to Ame's three new leaders. It wasn't that hard to convince them, after all with Hanzo dead what else could they do? The Root ninja's were a bit harder to work with. Their lack of emotions was hard for her to handle while manually taking off each of Danzo's seals took its toll. She was convinced they would follow Yahiko, Nagato and Konan simply because they didn't know how to do anything else.

"Here's a scroll with a request for an alliance," Yahiko tossed the document towards her which Kurama caught from his place on her shoulders. He was much less intimidating in his smaller form and apparently Konan was quite taken with him this way.

"Thanks, I promise you won't regret it." She nodded slightly in acknowledgement, "Konoha cherishes its allies, and if peace is what you're searching for, this is one step in the right direction."

"Yes, by helping in a war." He added rather sarcastically.

"It will end soon enough, probably within the next couple of months. You won't have to do much at all."

"I'll have to take your word for it." He eyed her sceptically but wouldn't argue. "Is it strange that sometimes I see you as an angel that fell from the sky to help us?" He chuckled faintly, "Though considering you destroyed an army and came along with a monster I should probably think of you as the angel of death." He shook his head to remove the ridiculous thought. "Konan's good at judging people so if she believes you are somewhat trustworthy I'll have to as well."

"I feel honoured." Miyu replied with a smile. It was nice to finally know what kind of guy Yahiko was and the same went for the Nagato who hadn't lost his friend. "If you ever come to Konoha I'll have to treat you to my famous stew, though you'll definitely be in store for a few surprises."

"Maybe I will, after I finish those." He pointed to the corner of the room where he had shoved stacks of growing papers. It looked like all leaders were doomed by the same curse.

"On a note of goodwill why don't I tell you a secret?" She leant in close to whisper into his ears. "Kagebushin."

* * *

Likewise when she met Sarutobi, disguised as an ambassador from Ame, she couldn't help but want to tell him the secret as well. And maybe she would… after he retired.

"So, Amegakure wishes for an alliance?" The Hokage asked as she handed him the scroll.

"Yes, we thought we could offer our help during the war. And better yet as comrades we would avoid conflict with each other." Miyu answered in the deep voice of a male.

"Hm." He read over it carefully, "I will think on it, but until then feel free to return to Ame. We will send our own envoy with the reply."

"Thank you." She bowed courteously before walking out the door. Now the next thing she would have to do is find her clone, which Ku should have tracked down by now.

**_Training ground 7, kit,_** He sent, right on time. Nodding to herself she meandered through the streets, slowly changing her disguise while in the crowd. First the headband became a similarly coloured bandana, then the flak jacket turned into a darker shaded vest, the pants were swapped for a coarser and cheaper pair and even her face changed to match her now civilian outlook. Stepping out she looked like an ordinary face you would never pay attention to. She dulled her presence and crept silently through the bushes near the appointed training ground. From her vantage point it looked like her clone was idly watching Minato train his students. Ku was sitting beside her mindlessly scratching his ear with his hind leg. _If only the other tailed beasts could see you now._ She mocked, alerting him of her presence. He froze in response for a moment before giving a couple more satisfying scratches.

**_They'll merely be jealous that I am, once again free._** He waited until Team Minato was sufficiently distracted before nosing her clone over to the bushes. A small poof of smoke and a couple of hand seals later she was back in her original form, filtering through her newly gained memories.

"Did you know that apparently training with Gai begins tomorrow? He seemed to have finished his laps already…" Her eyebrow quirked up in amusement, "While doing at least half of them on his hands..."

**_Your clone already told me. The academy will also be starting in a couple of days._**

"I'm excited." She admitted with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Miyu!" Minato called, "What are you doing over in the bushes?"

"Nothing!" Miyu answered, skipping back to the group in time to see his rather harsh training. She slowed as she neared seeing the blonde jounin standing with one foot on each student's back as they did push-ups. It was quite comical too see him rise and sink as his students worked.

"Sensei… can we stop now?" Rin huffed falling behind. Kakashi seemed to rise a bit too fast for her which meant she ended up with the brunt of her teacher's weight.

"I was waiting for you to ask. You finished the required number a while back." Kakashi groaned at the revelation, while Minato smirked uncharacteristically.

**_I never knew the blonde idiot to be such a sadist. _**Kurama confessed with his partner nodding in agreement.

"I figured out a while back all senseis are somewhat strange." She muttered back.

* * *

**A/N **And that concludes Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it~

New Jutsu (Not really this time)

**Name:** Kagehenge (Shadow transformation)  
**Classification: **Ninjutsu**  
Rank: **C**  
Class: **Supplementary  
**Range: -  
Summary: **A solid transformation which cannot be seen through. Naru created it by accident when using slightly different seals and too much chakra to perform a regular Henge. The newly transformed body reflects the old one, and once released there may be side effects, appearance wise.

(It's really just because I think Naru's Henge is more unique. You know, like being solid. So I made it into a whole new technique. It doesn't require that much charka but as of the moment she is the only one who can preform it since she's the only one who knows the hand seals and so on.)

Did I ever mention how much I love my reviewers? Almost as much as Ein from Cowboy Bebop (Best corgi ever!) As always I'll try to update quickly but rest assured, it should never take longer than a week :D


	6. Revealed

**A/N **Happy New Years and Welcome to 2013 :D

It took longer than I expected but I can finally post the next chapter. If you haven't already guessed by the title shits gonna go down... not really...

I feel like I'm rushing into things when I write but I really want the story to advance quickly, so I apologize if things happen faster than they should. But all in all I'm having fun writing this and your reviews motivate me :D

All of a sudden I got a wave of people requesting a harem... which truthfully is unlikely to happen. I can see two guys coming along fine but there's not enough votes for any other guy to challenge the leads. Then again lot's of people are wanting the strictly one lover relationship, which is sweet I admit. I might sneak in a triangle or one sided love... you'll just have to wait and see~

I'll stop here and let you enjoy the next chapter of Tender Sea :)

* * *

**~Chapter 5 - REVEALED**

- - - - - _Dream_ - - - - -

"Just how many people are going to fall victim to this stone?" Naru sighed running her hand through her hair. The long blonde locks hung down to her waist, shifting slightly as a gentle wind blew through the area. She spared a painful glance at Konoha's ever famous memorial stone where more and more names found themselves carved into.

"Naru-san." The sombre tone didn't belong in his voice and she wondered if she could beat it out of him. _No,_ she reasoned with herself, _if that's the case I'll be forced to incapacitate half of our forces, including myself._

"Sometimes I find myself wondering about the future," She said quietly, "A future which many of our comrades would never see. But no matter what they went down fighting, they gave their lives for us and so shouldn't we do our best to live?" She directed her pained gaze to the man who had cried endlessly for days when they had learnt of the most recent death, "But sometimes it's just so hard, you know?" She felt a few of her own tears slip down.

"He was such a good kid." Though his tears had stopped she could hear the sorrow in his voice as he continued to cry without them, "My disciple, he had such a bright future. His whole existence burned brightly." The man clutched a tattered red forehead protector in his bandaged fists. "No teacher should ever outlive his students. No… No father should ever have to outlive his child." She gave the man time to collect himself once more.

"Gai…" Naru trailed off. Of all the names carved into the stone his eyes would always be watching one in particular. _'Rock Lee'_

"I wonder if this is what Kurenai or Kakashi are feeling all the time?" He sighed and watched as clouds began to gather. It would rain soon.

"How's Neji doing?" She asked tentatively. The prodigy Hyuga was somewhat of a ticking time bomb at the moment, though no one could blame him, after all…

"I'd like to say better than me but I have no idea," Gai confessed, "Neither Tenten or I have heard from him, though it looks like he's been frequenting the Forest of Death."

"That's not healthy at all." She growled in frustration. She knew she would have to drag him out of his stupor but didn't feel up to it at all. Maybe the best option would be to join him.

"And neither is standing here, day after day," A smooth voice drawled, "Though I'm not really one to speak." Naru felt a comforting arm wrap around her waist and automatically leaned into the new arrival.

"Kakashi…" it seemed Gai had fallen so far he would not even shout at his eternal rival.

"This war has gone on for too long," The silver haired male gritted out, "It's time it finally came to an end, even if I must personally wring the bastard's neck myself! I would gladly tear down every ninja in his army one by one if it meant this would all finally be over." It was unusual for the laidback man to promise such brutality but Naru couldn't help but feel more encouraged. There was despair, almost too much which threatened to suffocate them in their already restless sleeps, but his words kept a small flame of hope lit. No longer flickering or wavering, but burning brightly with the rediscovered resolve.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Miyu vaguely wondered if it was something about Konoha, like how nostalgic it felt and how dear to her heart the village was, that kept bringing back dreams of the past. The two nights spent in Ame offered nothing but darkness and rest. And, the blonde had yet to decide whether these dreams were good, or bad. This particular memory left her depressed but none the less motivated her towards her goal.

**_Morning~_** Kurama yawned, jumping off the bed and landing soundlessly on the floor.

"Good morning." Miyu replied. She pushed some chakra into her resistance seals and instantly felt the change. She was on level three now and it felt like she was wading through water. In her previous life she had only managed to hit the sixty-seventh level and this time round she was determined to manage all ninety-nine. "So what's on today's agenda?"

**_You need to recover your chakra from the trip to Ame and continue to slowly condition your body,_** the fox advised, **_you'll start attending the Academy the day after tomorrow so until then reacquaint yourself with the villagers once more._** It hurt that the last part was necessary, but she had to remember she was a stranger here.

"GOOD MORNING!" A loud voice shouted, practically shaking the whole apartment complex with its volume. It was followed by a series of short raps on the front door reminding her that today she would be truly begin 'slowly' condition her body back up to scratch.

"Dammit Gai!" Minato groaned as he stumbled out of bed to open the door, "Please keep it down." He, for one, wasn't to please about his precious Miyu joining the spandex teen in his extreme form of training. Though the older blonde couldn't really do anything but except it. He really hoped every morning wasn't going to be like this.

"My apologies Minato-san! I was just excited." He shouted not the slightest bit quieter. She heard a couple of muffled sounds and came down to find the energetic boy tied up and gagged. "Mmfmu!" how he still managed to sound loud and happy she didn't understand, but assuming he had just called her name she waved back.

"I'll be going now." She told her current guardian, dressed in a pair of loose black pants and an orange tank.

"Alright," He sighed, "Just remember not to overexert yourself." He could only watch with a strange feeling of fear as Miyu nodded in reply, already dragging Gai out of the door.

* * *

Gai honestly couldn't remember the last time he was so happy or excited. Maybe it had been when he first saw Kakashi walking down the street and felt some strange urge to best him, a strange urge to compete with the genius Hatake? But now as he watched Konoha's newest resident run beside him he couldn't help but feel pleased. He knew his teammates, especially Ebisu, had told him time and time again that his training regime was not for the ordinary on sane for that matter. He didn't really understand their concern when he had told them of his new training partner, though as he watched her slightly flushed faced he couldn't help but mentally praise her. He knew it was very commendable for a four year old girl to keep up, even if he had toned it down a bit due to Genma's worries. She didn't look the type to give up and as he had told her once before, her flames of youth shone exceptionally bright.

"Yosh! That's enough running for today!" He shouted after they had both done a ridiculous amount of running, "Next let's get onto some simple exercises."

"H-Hai." Miyu panted. She glared at her fox which had leisurely spent the whole time on her shoulders, weighing her down. He didn't let up at all as she continued the work out. Sitting on her back for push ups, standing on her chest while she did sit ups. Gai hadn't helped, believing it was just her adding her own youthful touch. By the time their first break rolled around she didn't even have the strength to move, instead kneeling collapsed on the ground, apologizing to her crying muscles.

"Are you alright Miyu-chan?" Gai asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm just a little tired." She answered, "Give me a sec, I'll be up in no time." True to her word it wasn't long before she was back on her feet. She'd have to thank her enormous stamina reserves for that. Her spandex-wearing friend was happy enough and quickly offered to spar, despite knowing she wouldn't know much if any taijutsu, and she agreed finally able to find out how much her skills had degraded.

* * *

Miyu was totally, and completely unprepared, when Minato let out a feminine high pitched scream as his charge walked through their front door. She was so startled by the sound and almost fell back, if not for Kurama giving her a supporting push from behind. She gave him a thankful look and he returned with a shrug. "What the hell happened to you?!" He screamed distressed. The precious little girl had her hair matter with mud and leaved while her clothes were torn and dirtied. She also seemed to be soaked to the bone, even though he was absolutely sure there had been no rain, and when he looked closer it seemed the edges of her pants were singed.

"I was out training!" She chirped.

"I understand that but how did you get in this state?" He exclaimed. And was that blood on her clothes?!

"One thing led to another and… you know…" He definitely didn't like the hidden innuendo he picked up even though the sane part of his mind told his he was over analysing.

"I'll murder that kid!" He growled.

"What?! No don't do that! Most of this happened after we trained anyway!" Miyu responded in alarm.

"Then what exactly happened?" He asked.

"Well," It wasn't like she could tell him she was practicing some of her more high levelled jutsus…and failed, "Ku accidently burned my pants," She started, "And so I went to the river to put it out but I slipped and fell into the mud. Than on the way home I stumbled on a stone and fell into a bush." Better let him believe she was accident prone since this would probably be a recurring experience. He calmed down from his frantic panic and could now see she didn't actually look hurt, just messy.

"And the blood?" Minato pressed.

"I tripped and fell?" It was plausible enough though her tone wasn't very convincing.

"Hm." He wasn't buying it but in the end she seemed fine, probably due to her healing factor. "You need to take better care of yourself," Minato told her in concern, "Be careful next time ok?

"Of course!" Miyu replied with a mock salute. He sighed again wondering why her personality seemed so familiar to him.

* * *

"Uzunami Miyu," A fox mask covered the figure's face, "The Hokage would like to speak to you." Miyu shifted under the intense stare of the obviously female Anbu. Looking at her from the corner of her vision she saw the woman had long, bright red-hair, which was startlingly familiar.

"Alright, Anbu-san." Miyu bowed in a surprisingly polite gesture one wouldn't expect before skipping off to the Hokage tower, the Anbu following diligently behind.

**_Any reason for the bow?_** Kurama asked. He shifted uneasily while trotting beside her, knowing exactly who the Anbu was and how she could affect their plans. _People sometimes underestimate how hard it actually is to be an Anbu, especially civilians, _Miyu explained,_I'm just showing her some respect._ **_Are you feeling nostalgic? _**He asked in a teasing voice. She shrugged and stayed quite for the rest of the walk.

"Hokage-sama, I have brought Uzunami Miyu as requested." The female Anbu called after giving two short knocks on the door.

"Good, bring her in." Sarutobi answered from inside his office. The door was pushed open and Miyu stepped into the room, surprised to see she wasn't the only one called in. Minato also stood there, standing rather nervously with absolutely no idea why they were both called. "Fox, you are dismissed for now, leave us." With a wave of his hand the female Anbu disappeared.

**_I miss the times when you also wore that mask._** Kurama sat in his own daze, reminiscing about the good old days. He seemed to have found a funny memory and snorted in foxy laughter. _Oh Kami,_ The blonde choked slightly as the memory hit her,_ please stop!_ She didn't want to burst out laughing in what looked like an important meeting.

"Is everything ok Miyu?" Minato asked curiously.

"No, I'm fine." She answered.

**_Almost as fine the whole Anbu squad in green spandex and orange leg warmers. _**_It was to remember Lee!_ Miyu shouted back when the fox snickered. _I can't believe we actually did that. _Her mind flashed to a bird masked Anbu she had got Sai to hold down before he was stripped, much to his embarrassment, and redressed. Apparently that moment was enough for Gai and Tenten to burst into tears before hugging their estranged teammate, each of the three now wearing the green spandex while on a beach with crashing waves and a sunset. She didn't know whether he ever forgave her for that day but whenever the topic was brought up he feigned ignorance, as if he hadn't also been crying.

"Alright, down to business then," The Hokage cleared his throat and pulled out a thin folder. "First of all, Miyu, do you remember much about your family?"

"Um…" She twiddled her thumbs, inwardly panicking.

**_Maybe you should state they were missing nins?_** The fox suggested,**_ Wait, I don't think your old enough to know what missing nins are…_**

"Ano, Mama and Papa never wore those headband things." She pointed to Minato's forehead protector and both he and the Hokage seemed to catch her drift.

"I see," Hiruzen made sure to commit her words to memory, "And anything else? What did they look like?"

**_Quick think of someone to describe!_** The fox urged.

"Well, Mama had black hair and brown eyes," Miyu described slowly, "Her skin was pale and she was tall! And Papa had brown hair and really dark eyes, and his skin was a bit darker than Mama's!"

**_Please don't tell me…_** Kurama pleaded in his thoughts.

"What were they like?" Minato asked.

"Mama was always angry but deep down she was really nice, even if she pretended to be cruel. And Papa was always calm, though sometimes he was really creepy…" Minato shivered at the dysfunctional sounding family. How did Miyu turn out so happy?

**_Why kit?_** Kurama whined in the back of his throat as images of who she was describing flashed into his mind, **_why did you describe Yamato as your father? Better yet, when did Momochi Zabuza become your mother?_** _You said to describe someone so I thought of random ninja,_ Miyu replied,_ don't know why I chose a guy to be my mom though…_

"Hm." Sarutobi was undoubtedly thinking that their outer descriptions didn't match hers and the fact that they were probably missing nins raised a few unanswerable questions. "Well then, I guess no would be a good a time as any." He tossed the folder he was holding to Minato who caught it effortlessly.

"What's this?" The blonde jounin asked.

"The results of Miyu blood test." He finished simply enough. The girl in question sucked in her breath while staring in shock. _When did he get a hold of my blood?_

**_Actually, when you arrived your clothes were covered in it._** Kurama admitted. **_But I didn't expect them to go off and take a sample…_**

"What?!" Minato exclaimed, his hands trembling, "You've got to be joking right?" His sky blue eyes shifted nervously between his leader and the girl beside him before landing back on the files he held. "This can't possibly be right!" Miyu would've been lying if she said that his denial didn't hurt, but technically he was right…since she hadn't been born yet.

"Our machines are a little out-dated, and haven't been calibrated to include some of the newer families, but I assure you your blood as well as every other major clan have been inputted into the machine." The Hokage answered, "There is no doubt that you and Miyu are related."

"B-but how?" He was utterly stunned, being an orphan he knew nothing about his true family.

"As you can see, the blood isn't a complete match." The elderly man pointed out, "it's only roughly about 50%. That leaves limited possibilities." He paused to allow the shocked blonde to absorb the information, "She could either be your mother, which is highly unlikely," He chuckled a little, "your child, which I can only fathom happening because Jiraiya was rubbing off on you," Another small laugh, "Or your half-sister." He finished with a warm smile.

"I-I…but…no way…" Minato was lost for words but that didn't stop him from sweeping up the girl in a tight hug, relishing the thought of having some family.

**_I guess this was a good turn of events,_** the fox commented idly, feeling how happy his partner was. Miyu slowly reached out to return the unfamiliar hold, also revelling in the moment.

"Sorry to interrupt your moment," The Hokage said after a full minute had passed, "But did you check to see the full results Minato?" The blonde obviously hadn't and reluctantly released his hold to pick the folder off of the floor.

"What am I looking for?" He asked scanning through complicated medical phrases.

"It's on the next page. There are some other possible matches…" He trailed off and waited for what he knew would be a loud response.

"What!?" Minato yelled, yet again, "You've got to be joking!" Miyu tried to look at what they were talking about.

**_I'm curious as well._** The fox added, trying to get a better look by standing on her shoulders.

"It's no joke Minato," Hiruzen replied, "Our machines sorted through the information stored and matched it to the most likely. Along with a foreign blood she also has-"

"Uchiha blood." Minato finished, "Somehow she is part Uchiha." Miyu was utterly shocked. Could this be a side-effect from Sasuke's jutsu?

"To be exact it seems like she has some ties with the main family." The Hokage explained.

"Damn Fugaku," Minato muttered with a childish pout.

"It's less than a quarter so she's only distantly related it seems." Both men pondered the thought while the girl sat there doing nothing.

"Enough to manifest the Sharingan?" the jounin questioned, causing her to stiffen slightly. Luckily neither men had noticed, too caught up in discussing her heritage.

"I'm not sure." Hiruzen said truthfully, "You know the Sharingan is already fairly rare within the family, and it does take some distressing situations to awaken it."

**_What will you do kit,_** Kurama asked,**_ you can reveal it now and you won't be faulted. The death of your 'parents' is traumatic enough._** _I don't know._ Miyu replied unsure. **_Then again we can wait until another fairly intense situation to show our trump, no need to hurry._** His words reassured her but she didn't know what the consequences of revealing them could be.

"Ne, what are you talking about?" She asked cutely, tugging on Minato's sleeve. She felt it was time the conversation ended before they pondered further connections she had with the Uchiha.

"Nothing much, Miyu-chan." Minato answered kindly, "Just who you might be related to."

"I know! I'm your little sister right?" She tilted her head cutely and looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Mmhm, that you are!" The older blonde radiated his happiness, lifting her up from the floor once again. Hiruzen coughed behind his desk for their attention.

"So Miyu," He asked, "Would you like to adopt Minato's surname?"

"Un!" She beamed happily. It seemed like she wouldn't need her rather badly made alias.

"Are we going to have to add Uchiha to it as well?" Minato looked to be sulking.

"I'll have to speak to Fugaku about her before anything is done. Though she doesn't carry much of their blood, the Uchiha would want her to carry their name if she becomes influential enough." The old man sighed. That's how it was with the bigger clans. Title and status were everything.

**_Can we go now?_** It seemed the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune was getting bored. Miyu faked a yawn catching the men's attention again.

"Can we go home? I'm tired." Minato shot a look at his leader who nodded and allowed them to be dismissed.

"Make sure she remembers the Academy starts tomorrow!" He shouted as the jounin disappeared in a yellow flash.

* * *

**A/N** And that's all for now, you can look forward to her starting the Academy next chapter~

I had to hit you with a dream/flashback right at the beginning and I wonder if you managed to pick out any key info. Naru would have been 17, only a couple months away from eighteen, and it seems Konoha's going through some tough times.

As much as it pained me to write (I literally got myself too depressed to continue, at times and had to take a break to just stare out my window...haha...hah), in Naru's time Lee... died. Of course his whole team, especially Gai took it pretty badly, but as ninja they don't have enough time to grieve properly. There were mentions of Neji having the hardest time and also Kurenai understanding Gai's pain... I wonder if you could put the pieces together (Hint: Lee wasn't the only one from Konoha 11 to have died by this point...)

Ahaha, I'd imagine Minato squeals like a girl at times (he was described as being slightly feminine when young, though they meant in his looks). He might have been out of character but that's probably what I'll be writing him like for this story.

And kudos to those who pick out the red haired Anbu is~

I pretty sure that the next chapter will be interesting enough. She finally gets to start the Academy! Of course I'll have to make up some random OCs but none of them really play a main role so don't think to much about them.

I rushed a little so I may have made grammatical/spelling errors. Please, feel free to point them out if you can spot any.

Thanks for reading, once again. I appreciate it :)


	7. Sensei

**A/N** Ahah...hah...ah...

Well, I've already failed all of you...sorry 'bout that... I'm not going to lie and say I was busy because I really was just procrastinating. Sorry that this chapter came a little late.

So, Miyu's heritage has been exposed (at least half of it), and she will be known as Minato's half-sister. For those that were wondering, the reason she didn't match up with Kushina's DNA is because the Uzumaki blood hasn't been added to the machine (it was out-dated remember?).

Just so we're all clear here, Miyu's skill level is all over the place at the moment. Her knowledge is up there along with fuinjutsu, but her taijutsu and chakra control are a mess (what's the point of powerful jutsu if she can't harness them). I'm guessing later there will have to be a 'training chapter'.

Another rushed out chapter with dodgy editing. I'm already dreading the grammatical mistakes i'll find.

But for now I'm just hoping this fic continues well and you enjoy.

* * *

**~Chapter 6 - SENSEI**

Minato popped into his apartment with Miyu and the fox in his arms, not expecting to see his rather irritated girlfriend tapping her foot impatiently. Honestly he loved her so much his heart would hurt at times, but with that expression on her face he was a little frightened. "Ah Kushina, you're back early," He nervously walked closer unsure why she looked so angry.

"A relief team was sent after one of our members got injured, allowing us to leave partway through the mission." The red haired woman replied, staring intently at the girl. "Who is this?"

"Oh, this is Miyu, Namikaze Miyu." His girlfriend quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion. He was old enough and she was young enough for them to be father and daughter, not to mention she was practically a carbon copy of him.

"Minato!" She growled pouncing on the man who had enough sense to put down his passengers.

"Wait! It's not what you think!" He replied hastily, trying to save himself from his girlfriend's wrath. After all, 'hell hath no fury like an Uzumaki scorned'.

"Tell me what I should think then?" She growled dangerously, holding a kunai uncomfortably close to his lower regions.

**_Ah, the good old times,_** Kurama sighed,**_ she hasn't changed a bit. I love that fiery temper you Uzumaki's have._** Miyu rolled her eyes at the fox's comment. Even though he was an entity of chakra Ku was definitely a male at heart… and one that apparently had a thing for temperamental women. _Wait… should I be flattered or insulted?_ She shrugged, it didn't really matter that much anyway after she knew she was his favourite human. Smiling at the fact she was surprised by another of Minato's girly screams, wondering why he couldn't fight back.

"She's my sister!" He shouted, sighing in relief when Kushina stop the threatening actions. "She is my half-sister." He clarified. His girlfriend accepted the answer and slowly got off him, dusting herself off and smiling cheerfully.

"Well that's a relief. I was worried what was going to happen to you if I accidently removed some body parts…" For the first time since they arrived home she gave the young girl a proper look. Her skin was pale and she looked a little too small even for a child, something she would quickly remedy even if it meant force-feeding her. Her blonde hair was surprisingly long and held the same golden sheen as Minato's, while her eyes were a gorgeous blue like the ocean. She could imagine them changing slightly, like her lover's, according to her mood. Kushina wondered faintly about the six, whisker like marks on her cheeks as well as the fox beside her but decided answers would come soon enough. "Nice to meet you," She greeted, extending her hand, "I am Uzumaki Kushina."

"It's nice to meet you to," Miyu replied cheerfully, "I am Namikaze Miyu." She noted as she took the hand that they were warm. Much like whenever Minato lifted her up high, she felt the physical connection she had missed in her past life.

"Aren't you a cutie?" Her eyes crinkled in a smile and Miyu was enveloped in a soft embrace. "I have a feeling we'll get along great. So, do you like ramen?" Kurama snorted, what an abnormal family.

* * *

**_Kit._** Miyu felt herself being nudged but stubbornly resisted. **_Kit, wake up already._**

"Five more minutes…" She curled up further in her warm bed after feeling the chill of the morning air.

**_You know there's no point in trying to get back to sleep,_** Kurama drawled,**_ you're just being lazy._**

"I know," despite what she said she made no move to get out, "I didn't dream last night…"

**_Do you want to?_** Her companion asked.

"I miss them," She mumbled softly, "If dreams are the only way I can see them again then…"

**_You can still see them, _**Ku said nudging her small body. He didn't like to see his former container look so weak. **_You've seen Kakashi nearly every day since you've arrived._**

"It's different. They're different." They were two different people. That was the only reason she could be around him, because to her, Kakashi Hatake had died and her ninja heart had steeled itself stopping any tears. "This Konoha isn't my Konoha." Her voice cracked and she wondered if she had finally broken.

**_They are different,_** Kurama agreed, **_but you still have a place here. You have carved yourself a place here, with your own power._** He comforted her with a furry paw on her head. **_I think I may have rushed you into this, I've forgotten that humans need time._** He let the girl lie there. Dawn was still a far while away so she needn't worry about the day yet.

"Miyu?" Minato poked his head into her room, feeling something off, "Are you ok?"

"…" She didn't respond, adding to his worry.

"What's wrong?" He came to sit by the bed, Kurama not moving but staring at him intently. Minato was at a loss. What happened to the cheerful child he knew? Then again she had lost her 'parents' so maybe it was finally catching up to her. "There, there," he patted her back in a soothing manner, "It's ok, I'll be here for you." He said reassuringly. She remained completely silent but the irregular breathing told him she was still awake. Neither said anything for the next couple of hours. Not even noticing when green eyes began watching them sadly.

* * *

"Are you ready for the Academy?" Minato asked, while flipping an omelette.

"Mmhmm." Miyu responded cheerfully, this morning's woes pushed to the back of her mind. She had changed out of her pyjamas and wore black pants with a long-sleeved, black top. Not a speck of orange on her.

"She's starting the Academy?" Kushina asked, walking to the dining table. She took a seat beside the girl and Minato handed her a plate with freshly cooked food.

"Yeah, looks like she's already learnt some of the basics so Hokaga-sama decided to let her attend." He answered.

"Wow, so we've got ourselves a little prodigy." Kushina clapped her hands enthusiastically, "I can't wait to see how she does!"

"Her knowledge might be lacking as well as taijutsu and weaponry skills, but since she has the jutsu down she can spend more time on her weak points." The blonde jounin explained, "Of course I'll help you with anything you need, Miyu-chan."

"Arigato, Minato…niisan." The unfamiliar honorific came out awkwardly but endearing all the same.

"Isn't she the cutest?" Minato beamed towards his girlfriend.

"She's a sweet little thing." The red haired woman turned her attention to the younger girl, "How about me? You can call me neechan."

"Ah, alright Kushina-neechan." The woman squealed in delight and Kurama winced in pain.

**_These humans will be the death of me, or at least the cause of my future deafness._** He yipped while trying to cover his ears with his front paws.

"That's right! I forgot to ask," Kushina began suddenly, "What's up with the fox?"

"Ku-chan is my partner!" Miyu quipped in response.

"Partner?"

"Apparently he's her ninken." Minato elaborated, "Her, uh, parents told her that before…well." He turned quickly to check the child, happy to see she wasn't upset.

"Oh?" The Anbu's curiosity only grew, "This will be sure to turn out interestingly." Subconsciously her hand moved to rest on her stomach where her own tenant slept. "A fox huh…"

"So do you have anything to do today?" Minato asked.

"I have to check in with the old man but then I'm free for the next couple of days." She replied nonchalantly.

"You know, he is the Hokage so you shouldn't blatantly disrespect him." His brow furrowed in concentration, "I don't even know how you get away with half the stuff you say to him."

"I speak the truth. He's old and he knows it." She snorted and shrugged, "Plus he's cool that way and doesn't seem to mind as long as it's not in front of anyone important." Miyu found herself nodding along.

"I like Jiji!" She added.

"I like you." Kushina said ruffling the girl's hair. Miyu's chubby cheeks puffed out in irritation, trying to fix the mess.

"Well at least you two get along," Minato sighed, "Come on Miyu, I'll walk you to the Academy."

**_Finally,_** the fox huffed, trailing along as the slow day started to pick up.

* * *

Standing in front of the Academy, it didn't appear to have changed a bit. Just standing outside the gates Miyu could already hear the excited chatter of kids. Most parents stared at the blonde duo with open curiosity, their children doing the same. She guessed by now Minato was already some sort of village idol and she was a young girl who shared a striking resemblance. "Will you be ok?" He asked, crouching down to meet her eyes.

"I think so," She replied, "And if anything goes wrong I have Ku with me." She patted the fox fondly.

"Alright, well I guess I'd better get going," He shifted on his feet, a look of concern crossing his face, "Make sure to behave and study hard, and Ku, no breathing fire."

"Hai." The girl nodded.

**_Maybe._** The fox yipped. And once Minato heard the translation he had to accept it was probably the best he was going to get.

"All right then, I'll be back to pick you up once your done for the day." He raised his hand and gave a small wave which she returned enthusiastically.

"See you later!" Miyu skipped into the building with her faithful companion, leaving her brother by himself.

"I feel kind of lonely," Minato said offhandedly, "Maybe I should give Kakashi and Rin unexpected morning training?" He whistled happily while his two remaining students were overcome with a sense of foreboding.

Meanwhile Miyu made her way to her classroom holding a slip of paper the Hokage had told her to give to Saito-san, the academy instructor that would be teaching her. She came to room 2-A and knocked on the door politely. "Huh?" A gruff voice called, "Come in." Miyu sild open the wooden doors but stayed back nervously. She hoped she would be able to make friends.

"Um..." Kurama nudged her from behind and she stumbled into the room, "That wasn't nice Ku!" She shouted angrily at the fox.

"Who are you little Miss?" asked a man with cropped black hair and a chuunin vest. Miyu handed him the note and looked around the class nervously. Everyone looked about nine years old, but she was told that this was the graduating class.**_ The age limit was probably raised in our time because the war was over_** Kurama informed as he strode into the room, surprising most students. Taking a look at the students in the top row she almost did a double take. There was a familiar looking brunette sitting alone in one of the back rows, a scar stretching across the bridge of his nose. "Well class," The chuunin said loudly, "We'll be getting a new student. This is Namikaze Miyu, your future comrade."

"Nice to meet you!" She said cheerfully as whispers broke out. No one expected the legendary Namikaze would have blood-related family.

"I'm Takao Saito and I'll be your teacher," Saito introduced, "Does anyone have any questions."

"Isn't she a bit young?" an Inuzuka asked from the front row without raising his hand.

"Age doesn't matter when you're a shinobi." Her teacher answered bluntly.

"What's up with the fox?" A girl with shoulder length black hair asked. The chuunin looked at her for an answer.

"This is Ku." Miyu introduced, "He is my partner." She left it at that and everybody seemed to understand seeing as there was a similar situation with the Inuzuka.

"Are those whiskers?" Another girl asked while pointing at her cheek.

"They're… birthmarks." Miyu said uncomfortably.

"Alright! That's it for questions." Saito clapped loudly getting everyone's attention, "Sit wherever you want gaki." He said. Everyone watched expectantly and was surprised to see her walk all the way up the rows to sit next to the lone boy.

"Hello. I'm Miyu" The short blonde greeted, "Please be my friend." The brunette was taken a back at such a blunt request.

"Um sure?" He said confused, "I'm Umino Iruka." _Iruka was such a cute kid. _Miyu thought happily.

**_I heard he was a lot like you._** Kurama voiced while sitting on the desk in front of her, **_you'll probably have a lot in common._** She smiled happily while watching the boy out of the corner of her eyes. He seemed to struggle to pay attention and she caught his glances each time he turned to look at her, much to his embarrassment. She thanked whatever god up there that there was less knowledge for her to remember. A good chunk of the history had yet to happen and she had grasped the theories a long time ago. Their teacher continued to talk about stealth and other similar topics while pacing in front of the room. Hours dragged by for her before he finally stopped.

"Alright brats," Takao announced with a brisk tone, "It's lunch so get your shit and get out of my classroom." Miyu personally found it funny that her teacher spoke so frankly, comparing him to the future Iruka.

**_Lunch… I'm going hunting. _**The fox stood and shook out his fur before abruptly jumping out the window.

"Whoa!" Iruka jumped in his chair as he felt the breeze and saw a red blur, "Where's he going?"

"Ku's going to hunt for his lunch. Do you mind if I eat with you?" She pressed her fingers together in a marvellous impression of a certain shy Hyuga.

"Uh… no I don't. Do you want to go outside?" The blonde nodded and he led her to the base of a large tree, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

"So, what do you have for lunch?" Iruka asked pulling out his bento. In response Miyu rummaged through her pockets before pulling out a single, oversized rice ball.

"Onigiri!" She smiled taking a large bite out of it.

"How did you fit that in your pocket?" Iruka asked in awe.

"Oh, there's a seal in here." She flipped her pants pocket inside out showing detailed pattern.

"Wow." He stared at it with his complete attention, "How does it work?"

"You just add a little chakra to it and you can open up a pocket dimension." His eyes practically begged for a demonstration so she did one better, "Would you like to try?"

"Yes!" He bounced excitedly and seemed to flex his hand before touching the marked fabric. His eyes widened as his fingers then entire hand slipped in. He was arm deep and eyes wide before he spoke again, "I can feel a couple of things in here."

"Why don't you try pulling one out?" Miyu offered, finishing off her lunch. The boy didn't hesitate and grasped onto a hard object before slowly drawing his arm out.

"What the? Gah!" Iruka quickly dropped the offending item with a girly scream. Of course of all things he had pulled out, it had to be a tiger's skull. "Actually, it's kinda cool!" He reassessed it, turning the white bone in different angles under the sun. "Where did you get it?"

"Ku likes to go hunting once in a while and I keep the skulls as trophies." Miyu replied before slipping the skull back into her pocket.

"Your fox eats tigers?" He seemed to be more and more amazed the more he learnt.

"Yep, but only sometimes." She nudged him to get him eating again. "You need to get that food down before lunch ends."

"Right," He began shovelling food into his mouth at the rate only a hungry boy could achieve. "So, are you really related to Namikaze Minato?" He asked with his mouth full of half-chewed food.

"Yeah, he's my half-brother." Miyu answered. Iruka nodded in understanding and moved on.

"Are you new to Konoha then?"

"I guess you could say that," She smiled lightly, "I've already spent a week here just to look around."

"Where were you before?" He was full of curiosity though she had expected it.

"I travelled around with Mama and Papa. We never really stayed in one place for too long." She answered vaguely.

"That's cool. I haven't been out of Konoha before." Iruka admitted, "Except for that one time I got lost in the forest." Miyu perked up in interest. She hadn't heard about this before.

"What happened?"

"Oh, well I was running away from some civilians and before I knew it I was out of the gates. I was in the forest for a whole day and got a stomach ache after eating some berries." He said embarrassed, a tinge of red colouring his cheeks, "I don't know what I would have done if Mum didn't find me."

"Why were you being chased?" She questioned.

"I, uh, pranked them," He confessed sheepishly. She laughed a little but definitely gave the younger Iruka her approval as he told her some more of his daring feats.

"Next time let me in on your plans," She said with a wide grin, "I'll help you out."

"I'm the pranking king! The Prank King" He proclaimed jumping up, "Why would I need any help?"

"I admit you're pretty good," She gave, "But trust me when I say you could do so much better. I'll show you I'm no slouch when it comes to this pranking either!" Her eyes shone with amusement.

"Really? What will you do?" He wondered.

"You'll just have to wait and see won't you?" Iruka looked more excited than her if it was even possible.

"How old are you anyway?" He asked tilting his head.

"Four!" She proudly held out her fingers, "But don't you dare underestimate me."

"I'm more than twice your age then." The nine year old exclaimed, "How did you get into the academy so young?"

"I was already taught the practical part of the course so as long as I study hard I'll get through fine." She answered.

"Study…" Iruka grumbled at the concept. He knew he wasn't stupid it just took him longer than some others to grasps different concepts. "Will you have any trouble catching up?" He asked with genuine worry.

"I don't think so," Miyu replied thinking he was quite endearing, "I like to ready about history."

**_Bullshit._** Kurama called picking up on their conversation. **_We both know that's a complete and utter lie._** She responded with a mental shrug. _Where are you anyway?_ **_The usual hunting grounds._** He ended the impromptu conversation as his mindset shifted into predatory mode.

"You like history?" His voiced his distaste.

"Mainly just about the past shinobi." She clarified, "Like Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama!"

"…Konoha's founders?" Iruka asked after a moment of thought.

"Yep. They were probably incredibly strong ninja." Many times already she wished they were still around for a friendly spar… or all-out fight.

"But wasn't Madara a bad guy?" Iruka tried to think back to Saito-sensei's lessons.

"I dunno, maybe. I never knew him so I couldn't say," Miyu responded.

"But from what's written in our textbooks-"

"History is written by the victors," She continued, cutting him off, "It's probably biased no matter what the author may have been thinking." For a moment Iruka was allowed a glance at a strange unknown side of this girl which showed her much wiser than she looked. Of course then a squirrel darted across the branches, catching her eye as it swayed its fluffy tail.

"We should probably get going." Iruka said to his new friend. Friend...? He liked that thought. "Lunch is just about over."

"Alright, lead the way." She dusted herself off before following the tanned boy back to the classroom.

* * *

**A/N **Yay, a semi-unimportant chapter~

Well, Miyu had a short 'breakdown moment', since I thought I made it seem like she was fitting in too well (which wasn't my intention but it happened). And we all got a glimpse of Kushina who seems to wear the pants in this dysfunctional family.

I hope you all liked little Iruka, more of his personality will come though when they get to know each other better, and Takao. Admit it, you've got to love the irresponsible (and grumbly) teacher.

Please keep reading, voting and reviewing. I hope you look forward to the next chapter!


	8. Academy Days

**A/N **And here I am typing from 11pm to 3am the next morning...

To Dune (and pretty much all my other readers) I tried to update withing the week but alas I'm a couple hours too late. I'm hoping you enjoy the chapter but really you should look forward to the next one~

A timeskip will be coming up soon as well. Sometime either next chapter or the one after. nothing big... EXCEPT MIYU GETTING HER GENIN TEAM...

I think I've chosen the direction I want Iruka to go in. Mainly just the 'loyal to a fault' guy. And it might be fun to see him grow along side her. Of course, he'll undoubtedly be surpassing his future self. I always felt he had so much potential to be stronger, he did have the resolve as well as a generous heart. So, seeing as this is a fanfic, why not make give him a level up?

I think the story's progressing rather smoothly and knowing some people read and enjoy it is my motivation.

Love, hugs and cookies all around.

* * *

**~Chapter 7 - ACADEMY DAYS**

"Well I'm out brats!" Saito-sensei declared, finishing his class, "Go home and leave me alone." He left the room and his students began to pack up and leave. Several of them pointed to the new student and Iruka whispering all the while.

"Finally!" The brunette quickly packed away his belongings before stretching out his arms, "I didn't think I was going to last another second."

"Same here." Miyu agreed. In the end Ku had never returned from his hunting trip, leaving her rather bored. She didn't want to disrupt Iruka's learning, not that he was focusing much anyway, and ended up doodling on a scrap piece of paper.

"Is that all you did?" Iruka asked seeing her artistic masterpiece. It was such a strange picture but was fairly well drawn. "Why a toad?" He thought girls hated those animals, "With a jacket and pipe?"

"Just felt like it I guess," She shrugged and began scrunching it up only for an arm to stop her. She gave the offender a questioning look.

"Can I keep it?" Iruka asked embarrassed, "I thought it looked pretty good and…" He trailed off mumbling.

"What'd you say? You gotta speak up Iruka." Miyu replied straining her ears. Something about his mum?

"My mum wants me to bring proof whenever I get a friend…" his face was an interesting shade of red.

"Alright then, I guess that's alright." She handed over the wanted paper slightly surprised, "You must have a lot of random items at home."

"Aha…hah…Actually, this'll be this first one." He muttered the last bit too quietly for her to hear. "So," He said louder, "I guess I'll see you again tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"So how was your day?" Minato asked while walking her to training ground 7, "And where did Ku go?"

"It was fun," she answered, "And Ku left during lunch to go hunting."

"Ah… So, did you make any friends?" He questioned.

"Yep. I made one really good one." Miyu smiled and skipped along beside him.

"Really," He was relieved she wouldn't be all alone in the Academy, "Who was it?" His mind was already sorting through all the children he had seen which could have been a possibility.

"Iruka!" Her smile widened as she grinned back at him after stopping a few steps ahead.

"Umino Iruka?" He echoed, "As in the prankster?"

"Mmhm." She nodded, confirming the fact.

"And you didn't make any other friends?" He pressed.

"Nope." She popped the 'p' at the end of the word.

"So you made only friends with a troublemaker? Couldn't you have found some better, 'female' company?" He put emphasis on the gender, but didn't want to be too pushy.

"Iruka's great company. He's fun to hang out with." She pouted at him not approving.

"Well I've met his parents and their both respectable ninja." Minato responded, "Can you promise me that you'll make at least one more friend?"

"Okay, I'll try." Miyu nodded, though she didn't really want to get too close with the other kids in her class.

"Good." They arrived at the training grounds to see both Kakashi and Rin sparing horizontally on tree trunks. Minato clapped his hand and the both jumped down panting slightly. Rin looked exhausted but Kakashi was a bit better off, most likely the winning side of their mock fight. "Take a break." Minato gave, both students looking rather thankful.

"Hi there Miyu." Rin greeted with a wave, Kakashi merely giving her a nod of acknowledgement.

"Training hard?" The little girl asked.

"Yeah." Rin replied, "It's been a bit tough these past few days. Anyways, how was the Academy?"

"It was fun. I really like Saito-sensei." Miyu answered cutely.

"I heard he was quite an unorthodox teacher…but a good one nonetheless." Kakashi added. "What did he teach you?"

"A bit about stealth and the uses of a good henge. Then he showed us the hand signs."

"Henge, huh?" Rin pondered over the thought, "Don't you already know it?" the blonde girl nodded in confirmation. "Can we see it?"

"Ok." She shrugged and there was a small 'poof' as a cloud of pink smoke obscured her.

"Kushina? What are you doing here?" Minato asked when he turned to look back at his students.

"Uh, sensei, that's not Kushina-san." His female student told him, "Miyu was showing us her henge."

"Really?!" he was genuinely surprised, "I know Kushina down to the exact length of each individual, and beautiful, strand of hair. That definitely looks like her to me."

"Always a flatterer." An amused voice said as said woman walked into the clearing. She stopped next to the henged Miyu and gave her a once over. "Damn, I'm hot." She commented.

"Should I repeat my question?" Minato asked.

"Nah, I heard you when I was coming over." His girlfriend replied, "It's nothing important. I just decided to drop by." Miyu release her henge, deciding that it was too confusing with two Kushinas standing there.

"You must be really good." Kakashi praised. Rin was surprised at his compliment but agreed wholeheartedly.

"I know, I couldn't even tell the difference."

"Not in that way," Kakashi clarified, "Didn't you notice she didn't use hand signs?" Rin thought back. Now he said it she had only seen the girl nod before transforming. None of her fingers even twitched.

"She must have fairly good chakra control then." The medic deduced. Miyu stood completely unaware of the conversation due to the fox chatting with her mentally.

**_So I decided to scout around today,_** Kurama informed her,**_ there are a lot more ninjas patrolling the area and the guard is tight. _**_Honestly, I'm not surprised,_ she responded. _Did_ _you find anything of interest? __**A couple, it looks like the snake Sannin is still in the village.**_

"Orochimaru." She growled almost inaudibly under her breath.

**_Yes, with his little apprentice too._** _Anko? _She asked. **_Yes, her. Orochimaru, he smelt like rotting corpses but outwardly his façade is nothing but respectful. _**_If I remember correctly he would have already started his human experiments. Hopefully we'll be able to save some less fortunate people from that fate._

"Miyu?" the girl visibly started, jolted out of the conversation she was a bit too immersed in. Minato watched her in concern with Kushina sharing the same expression next to him. "Are you alright?" He continued.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." It looked like Kakashi and Rin had gone back to training, practising some simple water jutsus she could identify.

"Would you like to try it?" Minato asked after following her gaze.

"Can I?" Miyu bounced on the balls of her feet eagerly. This was the perfect chance to 'widen' her ninjutsu arsenal without any questioning.

"Of course." Kushina followed up, "What would you like to learn?"

"What about Mizurappa?" Minato suggested, "It's a pretty basic technique."

"Alright." Kushina agreed, "Well since you apparently have great chakra control this shouldn't be too hard." Miyu agreed it would be easily, but for an entirely different reason. _Where did she hear I had great control from?_ She wondered slightly confused. It didn't help that Ku had picked up on her more recent thoughts and was snickering in the background. "Well Minato," Kushina shoved her boyfriend over to Kakashi and Rin, "Over there are your students so I'll leave you alone to attend to them. Meanwhile I'll be teaching Miyu the basics of the basics." She ushered Miyu to a more reclusive area before getting down to the 'basics'

* * *

The week flew by fast. Early mornings with Gai, attending the Academy with Iruka, afternoons with Minato and his team, training with Kushina, and dinner with the two lovebirds before she went to bed only to wake up and do it all over again. No dreaming of past memories, only worrying about the impending doom. She trained and trained, trying to get her fragile body into a somewhat reliable state.

"You'll have to come to the trainings grounds by yourself today." Minato told her while dropping her off at the Academy gates.

"Sure." She held back a snicker and could see those around her doing the same. Iruka was standing by his mother's side staring at the idol with wide, unbelieving eyes and the same could be said for the rest of the crowd.

"I don't know why everyone's acting so weird today," The jounin muttered self-consciously, "Is there something on my face?"

"No, I think you just overreacting." Miyu assured. Kurama gave a snort and turned away.

"I guess." He sounded unconvinced, "Well, I'll see you this afternoon. I'd better get going." She waved him off and met Iruka in the classroom before class started.

"Did you do that!" he tried to hush his voice but his amusement made that impossible.

"Yep," she leaned back on her chair with a satisfied grin, "What do you think?"

"It was good, but really simple." He added as an afterthought, "I'm guessing he didn't have a chance to look in the mirror?"

"Sometimes subtlety is the key." She said wisely, "And actually he did check the mirror this morning when he washed his face and brushed his teeth." Iruka looked at her surprised.

"Then why didn't he notice?"

"Ah, you underestimate the power of seals." Miyu pulled a slip out of her pocket and showed it to him, "This baby here shows you exactly what you expect to see when you stick it to a reflective surface."

"You serious?" The brunette said in awe. These seals sounded like a deadly weapon for pranking, actually, a very deceptive and useful tool for anything.

"Yup. I stuck it on the edge of the glass, hid it, and then when Minato-niisan walked in he saw the usual morning face he greets every day. Expecting his to be blonde that's what he saw instead of the bright fluorescent pink."

"Where do you even get these seals from in the first place?" He finally asked after staring at the black calligraphy for long enough.

"I made them." She told him proudly. She doubted there would be any serious consequences.

**_Careful there,_** Kurama warned.

"How?" Iruka privately wondered if he could do it as well. "Could I learn to make them?" He asked, voicing his thoughts.

"Sure, anyone could if they work hard enough," Miyu shrugged, "You just need to be patient and read a lot."

"I don't mind reading." The boy replied. She wondered if she should push him down this path. Seals were a finicky thing and not many knew how to use them, maybe she would add another to the ranks. From what she had learnt during the first couple of days Iruka did try his hardest in class, it was just he stumbled once in a while and no one was there to correct him as he learnt something wrong, though she'd have to give it to him, when he did learn something wrong he'd learn it well. He was a bit slower on some topics and as Saito-sensei moved on he tried to as well, struggling on the next topic since the first went unfinished. She had found out that just a little input from her now and then helped him go miles. It was if the last piece of a puzzle slid into place in his mind and all of a sudden everything made sense. It was also a plus that he had nice handwriting.

"We can go to the library together once in a while, and I can show you a couple of book," She offered, "I can also help you if you have any questions."

"That would be awesome." He said sincerely, "I'll hold you to it."

* * *

Lunch was a peaceful affair. Miyu decided to cloud watch while Iruka went over the notes he made in class. Maybe she was overanalysing it, but he really seemed to not want to disappoint her. Whether in his studies which slowly but surely getting better, or pranks which became more elaborate, which included a cleaner getaway. She was happy she acted like a good influence.

**_Hey kit, you'd better sit up,_** Kurama yipped while snickering in her mind. **_You'll definitely want to see this._** She followed his advice and saw Iruka tense slightly. Heading towards them was a strangely big group of girls trailing behind a cocky looking black-haired boy.

"What do you want?" Iruka asked warily as the onyx eyed boy stopped in front of them. The girls accompanying the Uchiha visibly hissed at Iruka's dismissive tone.

"I've been away too long and decided to visit you." He spat back.

"Who are you?" Miyu asked, eyeing the offending boy.

"I'm Ichirou Uchiha," He answered proudly, "Who the hell are you midget and what are you doing with the deadlast?"

"Midget? Miyu repeated twitching slightly.

"Just leave us alone, Uchiha." Iruka said tiredly.

"Why should I?" Ichirou sneered, "I'm just here to make sure you know your place." He made a grab for the brunet but was intercepted as a small hand grasped his wrist.

"I'll ask you now to leave." Miyu said in a chilling tone. No one would ever harm a loved one in front of her. Not while she could help it.

"Don't speak to Ichirou-kun, like that!" One of his fans shouted.

"Yeah you blonde rat!" Shouted another, "Let go of him." Kurama snarled viciously gaining some screams from the weak females.

"I'll leave when I want to." The Uchiha answered with a glare.

"Trash." Miyu insulted him with a heated glare.

"What did you call me?" Ichirou growled angrily.

"Sorry, was I too quiet for you?" She growled back, closer to an animal's, "I said you're trash." Iruka was doing his best to stop her but his efforts were futile. The larger boy lunged for her and she smiled back wickedly. Slapping his outstretched arm away she swept his foot underneath him and sent the boy sprawling to the ground. Everyone except for the two time travellers looked rather shocked. "Lunch will be over soon, we'd better get going." She said, shaking Iruka from his astonishment.

"Right." He agreed. He turned away slow enough to catch some movement in the corner of his eye from where the proud Uchiha had fallen. "Miyu!" Iruka suddenly exclaimed watching as Ichirou went for a sneak attack. Without turning the blonde stuck out a leg ad tripped the boy, again, and sending him tumbling.

"I'm not an idiot, Uchiha," She said in clipped tones, "Annoy me or Iruka again and I swear I will break at least one of your limbs." She left him in the dirt as she and Iruka walked back to the classroom, Ku joining them only after giving the fan girls another scare. The rest of the day was spent finding out what she had missed in the curriculum and explaining some difficult parts of theory to Iruka.

* * *

Miyu walked leisurely to the usual training grounds, looking quite bored and whistling an annoyingly repetitive tune. Ku padding silently on her right , keeping an eye out for any possible dangers. "That's her!" She widened her eyes as a distraction presented itself. Ichirou looking slightly beat up, was pointing her out to the two adults behind him. Both men had a strangely bored expression on their faces, one even yawning slightly.

"Can I help you?" Miyu put up her most innocent look causing the guards to look at Ichirou sceptically.

"Um, are you sure?" asked the guard on the left, with long hair tied in a ponytail.

"Of course!" Ichirou stamped his feet like a child on a tantrum, "She's definitely the one who attacked me!"

"Sorry about this." Said the man on the left with short cropped hair, "But do you mind coming along with us?" Miyu shrugged and allowed them to lead her to the Uchiha compound. It was strange to see it so full of life and people. She made a mental note that she would also have to somehow prevent the Uchiha massacre. They led her inside and she was brought to a man she presumed was his father.

"Otou-san!" Ichirou began. Ah, so she was right.

"What is it?" The man looked slightly exasperated.

"Today at school that girl suddenly came up to me in a sneak attack and beat me up!" The child lied straight through his teeth.

"Excuse me?" Miyu asked, "I did nothing of the sort." Ku gave a small snort of contempt towards the foolish bully.

"She's lying." Ichirou continued, "And she made it so I couldn't fight back by using her fox to threaten my classmates." His father rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"May I begin by asking who you are, Miss?" He turned his attention to the little girl. He wondered how a child like her could have beaten a boy at least twice her age.

"My name is Namikaze Miyu," She bowed politely, "I just began the Academy about a week ago."

"Namikaze Miyu, huh," Word of her had spread fast since her arrival and now he could finally put a face to the name. She was polite enough, something he greatly approved of. "Was anything Ichirou said true?" His son looked at him with total disbelief. Don't get him wrong, the elder Uchiha loved his son, it was just at times he could be a little overindulged.

"Parts of it," He raised a brow, "I mean I did beat him up. Well, all I actually did was trip him a couple times." Miyu said with a foxy smile, "And Ku may have snarled at a couple of pathetic fan girls."

"So what actually happened?" His son tried to speak up but was silenced by his hand.

"He," Miyu pointed at Ichirou, "Was insulting Iruka so I told him to stop and leave. He didn't so I tripped him and after showing my back he attempted a sneak attack so I tripped him again." She paused and glared at the boy, "I also reminded him that if he tried anything again I would break one of his limbs." Ku snapped at the now frightened boy who quickly shuffled away.

"Please refrain from doing so." The elder Uchiha said, "And I apologise for wasting your time."

"Not at all." She turned briskly and left the room, wondering about the punishment Ichirou was sure to receive after bringing dishonour to the Uchiha clan.

"Yip!" Ku barked out a warning but Miyu seemed too distracted and collided with an unknown object.

* * *

**A/N **Readers and Reviewers are always appreciated.

This chapter was at the minimum length. Sorry 'bout that. I didn't want to squeeze in the next bit so I left it in the next chapter.

Remember, the polls still up and I actually enjoy reading peoples opinions in regards to this fic.

See you next chapter :D


	9. Uchiha and Ambitions

**A/N **Welcome back.

Some of you are too damn good at guessing my plot line... a couple of you picked it out but welcome to the introduction of Chibitachi!

I think next chapter will be featuring her genin team and a 3 month(?) timeskip. Have fun guessing the sensei though I'm hoping none of you get it.

Actually school is coming up fast and I probably won't have as much time to write this year but I'll do my best. I promise that this story won't be one that disappears for half a year to be burried among the hundred and thousands of Naruto fics.

So, let's get going. (And yes, Minato has had pink hair for the whole day :D)

* * *

**~Chapter 8 - UCHIHA AND AMBITIONS**

"Ouch!" She winced and rubbed her backside which had fallen on the cruel unforgiving floor. Across from her was another child who looked about the same age as her. Her gaze travelled upwards from the plain brown shorts and black t-shirt, decorated with the signature red and white fan. Slightly chubby from excess baby fat and short black hair framing his pale face, she would never forget those dark piercing eyes.

"Who are you?" The boy asked with a curious look. He had never seen such a sunny person before with golden hair and bright blue eyes except from Namikaze Minato. The small girl in the dark clothes had given him a certain look when she thought he wasn't watching. He didn't recognize it but, why did it seem so sad?

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Miyu said helping him up, "I'm Namikaze Miyu and this is Ku." The fox yipped a greeting.

**_Nice to see you again, chibitachi._** The Uchiha would probably never hear the mocking words or tone.

"It's alright," He responded, "It was partly my fault as well. I'm Uchiha Itachi." His identity was confirmed. "You said Namikaze, right? That means you're related to Minato-san?"

"Yup," She nodded, "I'm his half-sister. It's nice to meet you Itachi!" Miyu smiled brightly at him and Itachi was broken out of his usual apathetic expression.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well." He wondered why he hadn't seen her around before and had no trouble asking.

"Well I only came to this village two weeks ago, if I remember correctly." Miyu explained. He raised a brow signalling her to continue, "Actually it seems I was found barely alive by the outskirts of the village." His eyes widened.

"But you look fine." He stated confused.

"I have super-fast healing!" She said proudly, "I think you ninja might call it a bloodline or something like that." Itachi nodded in understanding. The two had long taken to sitting in the middle of the hallway as they spoke, "What brought you to the compound today, Miyu-san?"

"Just call me Miyu," The girl replied, "And I was brought here by some kid named Ichirou." Itachi vaguely remembered someone like that living in the compound. He also wondered how she could call someone older than her a kid.

"What for?" Miyu giggled at his curiosity, and then reprimanded herself for doing so. She was a ninja, a kunoichi, and they did not giggle…unless a mission required it.

"Because I made a fool out of him at the Academy!" Kurama settled in between them and was soon asleep, snoring lightly as he dozed.

"A fight?" Itachi asked running his hands through the foxes surprisingly silky fur.

"I wouldn't call it a fight," Miyu clarified, "I just tripped him a couple of times when he came charging like a bull."

"That sounds," The young Uchiha had a sparkle in his eyes, "Interesting."

"It was." She assured. They spent the day talking aimlessly to each other something that two children should've been doing all along, instead of worrying about the raging war happening in Itachi's case, and the one that would come in Miyu's. She still wasn't good enough to fully open up the young Uchiha but an almost-smile every now and then was good enough for now. Kurama purred contentedly as he felt the Uchiha scratch a particular spot behind his ear. Though, the peaceful moment of blooming friendship was suddenly interrupted by an excited squeal. The two children spun around instantly, almost blinded by an unexpected flash.

"What do we have here, Itachi?" The Uchiha woman asked with a smile flitting across her face, "You never told me about your friend." She was holding a camera and beamed with happiness at the sight of her son socializing. With a cute girl no less!

"Haha-ue," Itachi called in a monotone. She pouted and placed her hands on her hip, "This is Miyu, I just met her today." His mother noted the lack of honorific gleefully.

"My name is Mikoto and I'm Itachi's mother," The mother said politely, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Mikoto-sama," The blonde said politely with a slight bow, "I'm Namikaze Miyu and this is my partner Ku." The fox put on an adorable face instantly winning the heart of the Uchiha matriarch.

"There's no need for the honorific." Mikoto told her, "Just like how I'm trying to get my little Tachi to call me Oka-san." Itachi look off to the distance and probably would have grumbled at the nickname if it wasn't for his stoic nature. "Well, it's getting late," She said watching the setting sun, "How would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to, Mikoto-san!" Miyu jumped up excitedly. _But I think I might be forgetting something…_She thought. **_Don't worry about it kit, we'll cross the bridge when we come to it. _**Kurama replied.

"Come on in then," Mikoto waved invitingly, "You can meet my husband, Itachi's father." Miyu nodded and grabbed Itachi's hand, pulling him in while ignoring the boy's slightly red face and Mikoto's happy squealing.

"Hurry up Itachi," Miyu urged as her fox padded ahead, "Food is waiting for us!" She rushed into the dining room dragging the boy with her only to find a rather intimidating man already sitting at the table.

"And who are you?" He asked in a firm voice, slightly amused at his son's ruffled state.

"Namikaze Miyu, sir," The blonde was once again forced to pull out her manners, "It's nice to meet you."

"Namikaze?" The man seemed troubled. "Ah, Minato's long lost relative." He remembered, "I'm Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan." He looked very imposing to her four-year old self, but she waved it off as the height difference.

"Hn. I've heard Hokage-sama has already filled out the papers for your residency," He informed leaning back in his chair. "What are you going to do while you're in Konoha, your future goals?"

"Goals?" She echoed sounding a bit lost, "I'm attending the academy right now," She paused as her tone grew resolute, her eyes hardening to a steely colour, "But I will get stronger and become powerful enough to protect those dear to me and protect the entire leaf village." He also wondered why she would have so much devotion to a village she had spent so little time in. Gratitude maybe? Or was it suddenly finding some family in here. Her promise mirrored that of a certain blonde jounin, who dreamed of being Hokage, something the head Uchiha definitely noticed.

"Aren't you a bit young to be attending the academy?" Fugaku questioned.

"There's no age requirement to be a ninja," Though the words were said casually he felt there was something more to the blonde girl, "Plus I'm pretty smart for my age." There was a soft snort which directed the elder Uchiha's gaze downwards to a smirking fox.

"A fox?" Fugaku questioned, examining the lithe red mammal.

"Ah, this is Ku," Miyu introduced, "He is my partner."

"Oh!" Mikoto came out of the kitchen with carrying plates of food, "Like the Inuzuka?"

"Kinda." The blonde answered giving Ku a satisfying scratch.

"Well let's eat!" Mikoto sat the two children down at the table, making sure they were sitting right beside each other, before taking her own spot at the end opposite her husband.

"Itadakimasu." They said before digging in.

"This is delicious." Miyu praised, using all of her known table manners. Ku barked in agreement beside her while eating from his own plate. Flowers of joy seemed to bloom beside the housewife's head.

"Thank you very much Miyu-chan." She said happily.

"So, what was it like when you first met Minato-san, Miyu?" Itachi asked casually.

"Ah!" the girl suddenly stood in shock, "That's right! I remember what I was forgetting now." The family stared at her strangely. They all paused as there was a slight tremor followed by an unusual flash of pink.

"Miyu!" Fugaku twitched at the familiar voice and closed his eyes feeling an oncoming headache.

"Namikaze," he said exasperated, "What are you doing?" his 'blonde' rival had stolen their guest and was now holding her high in the air while checking for injuries. Fugaku picked up his tea and after taking a sip looked at the intruder, almost instantly spitting it into his face he instead gave an inelegant choke.

"Hah!" Minato pointed an accusing finger at the head of Konoha's Military Police, "I knew it was you, Fugaku!" Itachi looked between the two men confused while Miyu looked strangely happy at being so high up. Did the jounin always have pink hair or was it a recent change? He decided to stay quiet and respected the sudden appearance change. Mikoto let out a stifled laughter, having to look away to stop a break out.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Fugaku asked no one in particular while composing himself. Best to ignore the startling new trait.

"After you heard of my amazing protégé you decided to kidnap her, didn't you?!" Minato continued, speaking childishly.

"Of course not!" Fugaku replied, "She was inside the compound long before I had noticed."

"So then all of you Uchiha were into this?" the now pink haired jounin concluded, "You're trying to steal her away from me!"

"Um, actually I was brought here." Miyu admitted.

"Hah!" Minato gave his opponent a smug look.

"But that was my own fault," She continued.

"What for?" Fugaku asked.

"I hurt the pride of another student named, Ichirou and he just happened to be an Uchiha." She had a bright smile which was infectious, causing everyone in the room to smile slightly as they processed what they heard.

"Hurt his pride?" Minato repeated, "In what way?"

"I tripped him a couple of times." She shrugged, she didn't think it was such a big deal.

**_Everything is a big deal when it come to the Uchiha._** Kurama huffed. She shook her head but the smile never left.

"By accident, right?" Minato pressed.

"On purpose." She confirmed.

"Nooo!" Minato collapsed to his knees dramatically, and Miyu ran off to stand next to Itachi, "My Miyu has become a delinquent." Though Fugaku seemed to enjoy this moment he still felt mildly irritated.

"Oh, I heard about that!" Mikoto piped up. "You should be proud Minato," She said happily, "It was to defend another student from being bullied himself. Miyu is a righteous delinquent!" the 'blonde' was back up in the blink of an eye.

"That's my girl!" He ruffled her hair while stealing glances at the young boy beside her.

"Ne," Miyu tugged on the hem of his shirt for attention.

"Yes?" Minato smiled softly.

"I made friends with Itachi today!" The boy beside her blushed slightly as she grabbed hold of his hands. Minato noticed this and began giving off an intimidating aura. "See, just like I promised I'm making more friends."

"Another boy?" Minato muttered darkly. Being oblivious to his frightening aura, Miyu nodded cheerfully. "Looks like I have to start making plans." Minato said in a chilling tone. He was not ready to hand over his little angel to anyone yet. "We'll be taking our leave now."

"Bye-bye!" Miyu waved before they both disappeared along with the strange fox.

Her prank washed off in the shower that night and after erasing the seal Minato was left none the wiser with a very confused village. Kushina praised her on a good job and they settled for snickering on the couch with sly looks to the oblivious blonde. While chatting with the older female Miyu slowly felt her eyelids getting heavy. Ku was lying next to her, his fur giving off a warm, safe and most importantly familiar feel. It wasn't too long before she succumbed to sleep, unknowingly ending up with her head on Kushina's lap.

"She really is a gem Minato." The woman cooed softly, tucking stay stands of blonde hair behind the girl's ears.

"I know." He replied with a serene smile, "Now she's here I can't imagine life without her anymore." He laughed awkwardly, "Isn't that strange? She been here for less than a month and yet..." Kurama listened with the utmost interest, his intelligent eyes flickering back and forth between speakers.

"No, I get that feeling too," His lover added, "And I only met her last week." The two puzzled over the enigma they knew as Miyu, who at time was as bright as the sun itself but at others, yet have moments when she was as dark as a stormy cloud. Thankfully it was more sunny than not, though it was an undoubted fact she hid something. Kakashi had his suspicions, Sarutobi had his doubts, Kushina her worries, and Minato his concern. And yet none of them cared enough to stay away. No, in fact she attracted them all. The sole female on his team, most likely the most normal yet in some ways the most mysterious. The ever enthusiastic Gai, who trained almost desperately, in his atrocious green spandex. Iruka the village's troublemaker, a boy no one had time to take a closer look at to find the unpolished diamond, and Itachi the Uchiha prodigy who, no matter how stone-faced he stayed, was beginning to break.

- - - - - _Dream_ - - - - -

"Ne, Kakashi." Began a rather gorgeous blonde with eyes that mirrored the ocean's depths. It was hard to believe the incredible cute child of his beloved sensei had grown into the powerful woman that sat on the bench beside him, swinging her long legs back and forth. She wore the ever familiar uniform of Konoha's black ops, honouring her final day before retirement.

"Hm, what is it?" He looked up from a battered orange book, personally signed by the author who had promised a sequel that would never come.

"Did you ever find yourself missing Anbu?" She asked fiddling with the custom made fox mask.

"All too often." He answered deciding the conversation was probably worth putting his book down. "It's too easy to leave yourself on autopilot there. Almost addictive in the way you merely have follow orders and the fact missions sometimes get so hard you have no time to think about anything else."

"So that's why we're discharged?" Naru assumed, "Because Anbu is addictive and will turn you into a machine?" He nodded.

"I can't speak for other villages but Konoha like ninja with personality." He explained.

"Like Gai." She stated.

"Yes, like Gai and like you." He expanded, "Like the lazy Nara and wilful Yamanaka, the jovial Akamichi and the fierce Inuzuka, the prideful Hyuga, calculative Aburame, or our confident shinobi and temperamental kunoichi." That earned him a rather hard punch to his arm. "And of course our drunken Hokage."

"And a perverted Hatake." She grumbled. An unexpected thought popped into her head. "And the Uchiha?" She wondered. The two took a while to think of the near emotionless clan.

"Well, they were arrogant." Kakashi shrugged. They shared a look before bursting out in hysterics, or chuckles in his case. It was the strangest thing since it wasn't even that funny. Yet here they were in near unstoppable laughter and gaining questioning and disturbed looks from people around them. Maybe it was a good thing Tsunade had relieved Naru from her duties. And, as sudden as it came, they stopped.

"I can understand wanting to stay there." Naru said picking up the conversation, "It's so much easier."

"It is," Kakashi agreed. Another long silence stretched out and in that time he had abandoned his book in favour of her hand. Smaller and thinner than his own, Kakashi entwined their fingers together.

"I feel like a drug addict going into withdrawal." She said with a sigh.

"That won't do at all." Kakashi admonished, "I heard the reason why Tsunade pulled you out earlier than usual is because she's planning something big."

"Big?" She echoed curiously.

"Mmhm." He looked off nonchalantly into the distance.

"Well what is it?" She was all too familiar with his games and just wanted the answer straight out.

"Sorry, can't say." He made a motion of zipping his mouth. "Classified."

"I'm pretty sure I'm ranked high enough to know." He shook his head. How much higher than Anbu captain could she get? "Dammit Hatake! Why even get me curious if you weren't going to answer?" She pouted at him, and while it wasn't as cute after he had seen literally her rip out a man's heart while he was still breathing, it did look incredibly sexy. And he would have captured those same lips too if it wasn't for his second remaining student to pop up.

"Naru!" Her loud voice, combined with the elemental of surprise, was enough to cause the blonde to jump.

"Sakura!" Naru exclaimed, after landing herself on Kakashi's lap, "What's up?"

"Hope I'm not interrupting." The medic sang. Kakashi gave her a look that told her she definitely was, not that she cared. "But Tsunade-sama requests your presence."

"Huh? What does Baa-chan want?" She reluctantly detached herself from her former sensei and dusted non-existent dust off her pants. "I guess I'll get going then…" She shot Kakashi a wistful look but he just waved her off.

"Don't worry about me and get going. I'll probably be dropping by your apartment tonight anyway." He gave a mischievous wink with his sole uncovered eye and Naru vaguely wondered if that counted as blinking.

"Alright then, I'll see you later." She leaned in and in a practised motion pulled down his mask to place a chaste kiss. Sakura looked at the cute couple from her peripheral vision but quickly got bored as the kiss seemed to deepen and Naru had moved back to straddling the Hatake. She cleared her throat loudly and finally the two lovebirds stopped, both looking slightly messed up. "Right. Baa-chan." Naru remembered. She waved to them both and shunshined into the office, only to get a face full of rainbow streamers and glittery confetti.

"Congratulations!" Shouted her closest friends, who had all been gathered into the room.

"Wha-" She was stunned and it was definitely because of the barrage of bright colours.

"Congratulations gaki," Naru pinpointed Tsunade's voice and turned to face the desk where a large banner stretched across the back wall. The busty blonde pulled out special stamp and slammed it right on the girl's unsuspecting forehead.

"Gah!" She stumbled back at the sheer force and was caught by a smiling Neji. "What the hell was that for, and what is all of this?" She finally asked.

"Here you go." Ino passed her a small pocket mirror so she could clearly see the red-inked words, though it was written backwards. Naru was torn between cheering and crying, out of joy of course, so she settled for both.

"Yatta!" She pulled the closest person into a tight hug and was soon suffocating Hinata, "I did it! I did it!" Someone managed to tear the poor girl out of her grasp but at the sacrifice of Shino. "Shino! Do you see it?!" She pointed to the red words and he nodded. Who couldn't see it when it was placed in such an obvious area? "Isn't wonderful?!" She was bursting with joy and decided it needed to be shared around. First by giving Shino a dizzyingly kiss, before he was 'saved' and replaced with Hinata once again. Of course that didn't stop her but Hinata did faint, and really no one was safe from an irrational Naru. Kakashi and Sakura chose that moment to coolly walk through the door.

"Should I be jealous?" He asked giving questioning stares around the room. No one replied and the sunny blonde bound up to him, showing off the mark of honour. She then jumped him and Kakashi decided the answer was no.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Miyu jolted awake in her bed. Where had such a cheerful memory popped out from? If she remembered right that was when Tsunade had declared her as a Hokage candidate, the only candidate and therefore the one who would succeed her. Miyu stared at the ceiling as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. _Hokage?_ No, she didn't need that. The title wouldn't help her. No, she didn't need it. Power. That was what she was striving for. She closed her eyes again. _That's right, power…_ Kurama watched at her from behind his tail, his golden eyes shining bright as she fell back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**A/N **I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Yay for more dreams. Especially ones with Kakashi~ It was before the whole Kiba and tiger-skinning event yet after Shikamaru's talk if you were wondering. and pretty much before shit hit the fan... Yeah, you can look forward to some pretty sad flashbacks latter on.

And so here begins Miyu's slight (very, very slight) obsession with power. Let's all see which way that progresses and hope it's interesting... (I think it was in an old draft that she still wanted to be Hokage but I revised the idea)

There might be a couple of mistakes here and there but let's hope nothing major...

Keep reviewing and feel free to ask questions. The polls still up too.


	10. Team Seven Again

**A/N **I'M SORRY! (...Dune... and everyone else who had bee awaiting this chapter...)

I actually feel bad for the week long delay but I fear it might become routine...

Reason? I'm in my last (and most important) year of school... It wasn't the best time to start a story but...*shrug*Essentially If I skip out on a chapter you can revel in the idea that I'm swamped with homework or crying in the corners about exams or SACs.

But hey, after this year (If the story lasts that long... hopefully it will) we're in the home clear :)

...I made the chapter extra long as an apology...(praying that you don't find my errors)

* * *

**~Chapter 9 - TEAM SEVEN... AGAIN**

**– 3 Months later…**

"Great job today!" Gai complimented though the small girl beside him was practically lying on the ground due to exhaustion.

"Hah…thanks…" She panted, perfectly content to stay there until she caught her breath. She still didn't get how the spandex-wearing teen could train so much. There was a swirl of leaves behind them before a certain masked jounin appeared.

"I'll be taking her back now." The young Hatake announced, hefting her over his shoulder like a potato sack. It was something that had fallen into his routine. Wake up, sulk a bit, pick up Miyu and then let Kushina stuff him with food.

"Of course my eternal rival." Gai replied in his constantly loud voice, "Be sure to give Minato-san my regards." He dashed off prepared to continue his training, also used to his rival's daily arrivals.

"Good morning, Kakashi." Miyu greeted the only visible third of his face. After the bandages were removed Kushina had got him to slant his headband over his eye in place of an eye patch, claiming it made him look cooler.

"Mornin'." He replied with a friendly eye-smile. She noted he wasn't hindered by her at all, easily walking down the street. "Minato-sensei's making breakfast today. He said it would be ramen." He made a face of distaste. It wasn't like he didn't like the noodles, it was just the fact that he ate them far too much for his liking.

"Ramen!" Miyu cheered, and Kakashi shifted the squirming girl to get a better hold. The trip back to the apartment complex was relaxing and quite, seeing as Konoha's residents were still shaking off their sleepiness. Ku met them at the doorway, flicking his tail back and forth.

**_Welcome back kit,_** He rubbed his head against her side. **_Are you excited?_** She nodded eagerly in response, her energy depletion disappearing.

"Good morning, Miyu-chan, Kashi-kun." Kushina yawned as she entered the dining area. Her usual silky red hair was a mess, as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

"Welcome home." Minato chirped as he dished out the food, "I can't believe you'll finally be graduating." He looked towards the genius girl with a warm smile. Kushina picked up his words and soon became quite excited.

"This year the old man said I would be one of the jounin-sensei, and you better bet I'll be having you on my team." She stated with determination.

"Doesn't the Hokage personally allocate the students?" Kakashi asked as he sat down and joined the family. Time had done him a lot of good. It took him weeks before he could get over his teammates death, though not completely, but it was his personality which surprised those close to him the most. Gone was the overly serious, aloof and apathetic Hatake only to be replaced by a rather cheerful and carefree personality. Roughly an hour late for anything, and squandering too much time staring at a rock, he was quickly becoming more and more familiar to her.

"I'll be damned if I get anyone but my darling little Miyu-chan." Kushina declared vehemently. The girl in question blushed cutely in happiness.

"It would be nice to have more time training with you." She replied pressing her fingers together. "It would nice to have you as my team leader." During the times after school Miyu had alternated between training with Kushina, expanding her list of available jutsu, and playing with her two new friends. She was a good teacher and the lessons were always practical. It was an added plus that what Kushina thought were the basics would seem a bit advanced for Minato. The red-haired woman nodded enthusiastically, for Miyu, she would put up with as many bratty kids the Hokage threw at her.

**_Don't get your hopes up._** Kurama warned. Miyu nodded and wondered who else could possibly be her sensei. While the three jounins chatted around the table she retreated into her room, passing a bouquet of origami flowers Kurama had picked up and heading straight to her dresser. Sitting on top of the wooden surface was a brand new forehead protector. The shiny, engraved metal standing out against the burnt orange ribbon she had swapped out the navy blue for. She quickly gathered some clothes and slipped into the adjacent bathroom, determined to rid herself of this morning's grime. It was near impossible to leave Gai's training as clean as you started. She stripped off her dirty clothes and took a brief showing, reveling at the feel of hot water against her aching muscles. When she was done she dried herself and stepped out, looking at her hair with annoyance. It was a bother to wash and a hindrance. She had no idea why she had kept it at its ridiculous length for so long. _Kurama, can you get in here? _There was a soft padding outside and she let the fox in, completely fine at being naked in front of him. **_What is it?_**

"I need something sharp." Miyu voiced whilst searching the depths of his fur. Her hand gripped something metallic and she pulled out a kunai before turning to face her reflection in a long mirror. In a nostalgic action she gathered her hair into a bundle and made a smooth swipe near the back of her head. The long, golden strands pooled at her feet as she continued to cut. Short, uneven hair with choppy bangs, Miyu nodded satisfied with how much light she felt.

**_Much better._** Kurama agreed. Long hair could be a deadly hindrance on some missions

She cleaned up the mess and pulled on her clothes, loose black pants and long sleeved top to keep out the autumn chill. She happily skipped out of the bathroom after tying her hitai-ate around her neck, walking back into the lounge with the fox in tow. Kushina seemed to notice her first.

"Miyu! What happened to your hair?!" She exclaimed in near horror.

"I cut it." The girl replied with a smile.

"Good." Kakashi nodded in approval. He knew Rin kept her hair short since it was practical but didn't know why Kushina seemed so determined to keep hers long.

"But why?" Minato asked. She had looked so cute with that long hair of hers. It suited her perfectly, not that this shorter look didn't.

"It was heavy." The now short-haired girl answered, "And It would get in the way." Kakashi nodded at the points. Though he also missed the longer strands ever so slightly.

"But…" Kushina thought it was a waste to let go of the golden strands. She was pretty sure that now even Minato had longer hair than the girl.

"It'll grow back." Miyu said with a shrug. Not she thought about it, Kurama's fur was looking a bit shaggy as well, maybe he would need a haircut too.

* * *

She barely made it in on time, climbing through the window with the fox around her shoulders just as Saito-sensei walked in through the door. He gave her a strange look but otherwise disregarded her ruffled appearance. Iruka cheerfully waved her over to her usual seat next to him at the back of the class, startled by her new hair, just like everyone else. "Morning." She sighed flopping down. He bristled in excitement but didn't dare speak when their teacher glared at the two.

"Alright brats, it's nice to see you all have you headbands on." Saito said gruffly, "I'd like to personally welcome you to the ninja world, congratulations." He paused as the passing class cheered. "You might be happy now but keep in mind that we're in a war people, so welcome to the harsh reality of ninja life!" The cheering quietened down and was replaced with nervous glances, "From now we will be appointing you to teams of three, two students and a jounin sensei." He seemed to have caught Miyu's attention with the unusual grouping, "Usually it would be teams of four with three students but while we are in this war the number has been cut down to quickly make more efficient teams. A smaller size is exactly what we need at the moment. It'll make it easier to move around when on a mission. We will be pairing you brats according to your performance in the graduation exam. Remember whoever you're paired with should be around your skill level."

"This war must be quite bad," Miyu sighed softly.

**_Of course it is, but it'll be ending anytime now…_** The fox reassured as Saito began the team announcements.

"Team 1 will be Uchiha Ichirou…" Miyu instantly tuned out as the boy gloated about being number one.

**_It looks like they're avoiding teams which have two girls, smart choice. Oh? You're Team 7, like always… it'll be a fun team…_**_ What team?_She thought having missed her name while looking out the window,_I didn't hear it at all._**_You'll just have to wait and see,_** the fox sniffed haughtily,**_ hopefully this will teach you to be more attentive._**

"Baka-Ku," She muttered. She probably could've asked Iruka but he looked busy, scribbling into a worn notebook. She had seen the insides before and frankly she was amazed. Everything he hadn't understood had been broken down and analysed completely, and while for academy notes it might not have been big, when done with jutsus, they could be simplified for pretty much anyone to learn. Saito had left after the announcements, so it was no good trying to find him either. She just hoped her sensei wouldn't be three hours late.

"Team 1?" A lazy voice called. Miyu almost did a double take seeing the lazy strategist walk in but calmed herself as she noticed who it really was, "I'm Nara Shikaku, you're jounin sensei, follow me." He had some bandages across the right of his face so she assumed he was absent from the frontlines due to injury. After an unknown jounin came for team two Shikaku's usual teammates also came to pick up a team. The fact the Inoichi was a man and Choza had bright red hair meant she didn't confuse them with their future children.

"Team 5." Said another unknown ninja, picking up her students. As she left there was some gloomy footsteps as the next ninja walked in.

"Team 6?" A familiar, red-haired woman appeared, dressed in the standard jounin uniform. He mood had done a complete 180° change from this morning. adn it happened to be for the worse.

"Kushina-neechan, what's wrong?" Miyu asked. The woman turned on her with comical tears.

"That damn Sarutobi already decided on the team placements so now I have to train some bratty kids and I can't even have you!" Her team was a little annoyed that they had been referred to as bratty but wisely kept silent.

"There, there." Miyu comforted patting the woman's back. Iruka gave her a confused look but she would explain the mysterious lady later.

"Damn you Hyuga-teme!" Kushina shouted in despair. Miyu was fairly confused by her outcry, wondering what a Hyuga could've done to make the woman that emotional. Ku chuckled in the back of her mind while outwardly lazing on the desk.

"Team 7." A deep voice called, interrupting Kushina's pity party. She quickly turned and growled ferally at him. A tall man with long, brown hair looked at her blankly with pale, pupiless eyes. "Meet me at training ground 7 in five minutes." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves while both students raced to get there in time, seeing as it was at least a fifteen minute walk away. Kushina herself walked dejectedly out of the classroom with her students following along.

* * *

"That was…hah…surprising…" Iruka panted as they reached the training grounds. Miyu was in a similar state but was happy to have made it in time. They had dashed straight from the classroom and probably set the record of three minutes and a couple of seconds.

"This is a pleasant surprise." The Hyuga male said with a ghost of a smile, "You both ran? And got here on time?" Each student nodded. "I'm looking forward to teaching you two then."

"Hai! Please take care of us, Sensei!" Both students saluted with silly grins and bowed.

"Well let's go through some quick introductions. I am Hyuga Hizashi your jounin sensei," Miyu blinked in recognition, so this was Neji's father then? "I'm currently absent from the battlefield due to the birth of my son." He gave Iruka a look to go next.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Umino Iruka!" He greeted mostly towards his new sensei rather than his friend who already knew, "I'm 9 years old and it's my dream to protect this village like my parents."

"Konichiwa , I am Namikaze Miyu and I turned 4 in October." It was also the day she had slipped into the past. "And this is my partner Ku." Hizashi looked at her thoughtfully. Also wondering how the fox managed to make it here on time.

"So the rumours were true then." Their sensei replied in a cheerfully, "Minato's finally found some of his long lost family." He ruffled her hair much to her displeasure.

**_It's not like it matters any more after the abrupt haircut,_** Ku pointed out.

"It's been a long time since we've had a kunoichi as the rookie of the year, and it seems you've set the record as youngest academy graduate. Just like your father, you must be another genius." Hizashi continued, "And you Iruka-kun, it'll be interesting to see the boy who rose so quickly from the bottom in just a couple of weeks." The brunet blushed happily, thankful his grades had been pulled up. "Undoubtedly a hard worker." Iruka shot Miyu a thankful and proud look. It was all the time they spent studying or training together that had led to his 'level up'.

"Alright," Hizashi clapped his hands to get their attention, "Even though you've graduated you aren't exactly genins yet."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Iruka questioned confused though Miyu had fully expected this.

"There's one more test academy graduates are required to complete if they want to stay ninjas. Otherwise it's back to academy if you still want to try again." Hizashi explained.

"What is it?!" Iruka asked excitedly, eager to prove his worth.

"Well originally I was going to try the bell test, but it seems Kushina has claimed that one this time," He seemed to be thinking up one on the spot, not noticing the little girl perk up as her former test was mentioned, "I don't feel like playing hide and seek with you two to test your tracking skills either…let's just spar then. If you can score one hit each you pass." He shot a calm and disarming smile towards them but Miyu was on red alert.

"Iruka, we've got to be careful," She tugged on his sleeve to get attention, something their sensei didn't miss.

"Why?" He replied confused. Kurama thumped the boy on the leg with his tail.

"You can't be serious." His face remained confused and Miyu sighed, "If you would Ku," The fox once again pulled out something too large to have been in his fur, amazing Hizashi. He then tossed it to the boy, catching him unaware as it slapped into his face.

"Guide to dojutsu?" Iruka read aloud. The Hyuga was surprised yet again, had the girl been looking through dojutsu?

"Page 32." Miyu commanded. Instantly Iruka sat down, cross-legged as he flipped to the correct page and immersed himself in learning.

"I was told you two had a strange relationship, I guess it's true." Their sensei noted.

"Strange?" Miyu echoed.

"For a nine year old boy to obediently listen to a girl five years younger than him," Hizashi explained, "Usually they'd be in their rebellious stage, too overconfident and outgoing to simply sit and read." He pointed to the sitting boy and chuckled, "Maybe you could say he's been tamed." The fox snorted in agreement.

"Tamed? In the first place Iruka wasn't that wild… aside from a couple of pranks. But we've been studying a lot at the library so he created a sort of study mode." She explained, gesturing towards the now quiet boy, "And he trust I wouldn't give him a useless book." Hizashi hummed in thought. Despite her young appearance, she spoke and acted much older. "Regardless, Iruka will be a great ninja no matter what," She stated confidently. The boy in question would've blushed if he weren't so immersed in reading, "I just wanted to help."

"Hmm." Hizashi noted some suspicious chakra signatures nearby. He wasn't the only one seeing how Miyu had turned to look around, something he definitely noticed.

"Done!" Iruka chirped standing up. He handed the book back to the fox and pointed proudly at Hizashi, "You almost fooled me but now I know all about the Byakugan…or at least what was written in the book!" Hizashi raised a single brow in response watching as the boy suddenly stated and began looking around. "Uh, Miyu? Is there someone else here, somewhere around the trees over there?" Both the girl and her teacher were surprised at his accuracy.

**_The boy has talent in becoming a sensory ninja,_** the fox commented,**_ maybe you can push him to go farther than his other self. _**_That's the idea._

"Can you elaborate?" Hizashi asked curiously.

"Yeah, there are three chakra sources over there. Two are pretty small while the third is really big." Iruka pointed at their rough positions.

"You're getting really good with this chakra sensing you do." Miyu complimented with the Hyuga nodding in agreement.

"True, but for now let's ignore them and start our own test," he activated the Hyuga's signature jutsu, shown as the veins near his temple bulged. He gave them both a once over, staring at Miyu for a good while longer, before sliding into his stance, "I'll be mostly judging you on your taijutsu, whenever you're ready."

"Ku, sit this one out for now." Miyu commanded. The fox nodded and padded a short distance away. "Iruka, try to aim for the back on his neck." Miyu said quietly enough for their teacher not to hear them. The boy nodded and slid into his own stance, an improvised and ever growing version of the basic academy style. "I'll create an opening and you can go for it." He nodded as she suddenly disappeared from sight, signalling the start of their assault.

"Hm?" Hizashi quickly raised his arm and blocked what looked like a dropkick. He felt the unusual heaviness of the attack and slid back a couple of centimetres. "Good strength," He turned slightly and brought an arm to block the incoming Iruka. Seeing he had lost his opportunity the boy jumped back and watched for another opening, "Smart move." Miyu quickly twisted herself around and launched a barrage of fast strikes. All aimed for his vitals he noticed. He felt Iruka sneaking up on him once again and blocked another jab, grabbing a thin wrist while he was at it and swept Miyu's front leg off the ground before throwing her at her teammate. Kurama snort in amusement as the boy went down under her.

"Nng," Miyu rolled off Iruka with a grunted apology and set herself back on her feet. She was a bit put off he had thrown her so easily.

**_It's because you're tiny… _**She growled at the fox, who had knowingly hit a sensitive subject. _I'm not a midget!__** I said you were tiny, not a midget, though…**_ The fox yipped in laughter. She chose to ignore him this time around and once again launched herself at her new teacher. He was as prepared as she expected and easily began countering her strikes. Iruka carefully circled around, looking for an opening as he edged closer. They blocked and parried each other's strikes and Hizashi momentarily forgot about his other student. By the time he sensed him coming in he was late to react and got caught with a nasty blow to the shoulder which he retaliated with a punch in the offender's gut. He was caught by a harsh punch to his side from his other student and he was quick to react by kicking her back. He stepped out of their range and scowled slightly knowing that he was going to be getting a pair of new bruises. With their goal accomplished, both genins jumped back a safe distance to check their own injuries. Iruka with a hand over his stomach and a grimace on his face, and Miyu dusting off a foot print on the side of her shirt.

"Honestly I'm surprised." Hizashi told them, "I didn't expect a pair of freshly minted genin to actually land a blow. Good job, you pass." Both students instantly relaxed and hive fived each other wincing as they felt their own oncoming bruises.

**_I don't know about Iruka but I'm sure that bruise will be gone within the hour._** Kurama added. Miyu hadn't heard him, too caught up in her most recent achievement.

"Yeah!" Both students cheered enthusiastically.

"It seemed you quickly came up with a plan," Hizashi analysed, "Which involved using Miyu as a distraction, and went headfirst into the battle. You both also seem to have a tight grasp on the basics and have a fairly good amount of strength, something that initially caught me off guard. In the end as long as you both showed adequate teamwork I would have passed you." They smiled brightly at him, obviously pleased with themselves. "As far as I can see, Miyu would be the leader in this case but it also seems like she takes the harsher roles like directly confronting me to give you a chance, Iruka. At the same time you seem to have unwavering trust in her and follow her orders to the best of your abilities." Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously, "Was there a particular reason why you aimed for the back of my neck?" he asked the boy.

"I just did as Miyu asked," Iruka answered. Hizashi nodded and shrugged it off.

"Well it doesn't matter that much in the end. Anyway with my Byakugan I was able to examine your chakra levels during the fight. Iruka, you have more chakra than I expected, somewhere in the high genin to low chuunin mark. While Miyu, you seem to have an outrageously large amount for a four year old, maybe in the high chuunin levels. It seems like your fox has somehow developed chakra coils as well, which is strange but not impossible. Maybe it can learn some handy skills." While he contemplated the thought a figure jumped down from the tree with two children over her shoulders.

"Haha! You lost!" Kushina shouted at Hizashi's slightly amused face.

"That I did, and now I have a pair of cute students." Though his voice was kept monotonous both students looked happy with the comments, though Iruka being a boy would deny this. "I can tell it won't be the same for you," He looked at the unconscious genins she carried. It new knowledge in the new Team 7 that Kushina and her two genins were probably the chakra signature hidden in the trees, though it was an unspoken fact that it wasn't nearly enough time for her to have adequately tested her students.

"Of course! No brat's are going to beat me any time soon." She replied confidently. Iruka blushed slightly looking up at the pretty lady.

"Um, was there a reason you were watching us?" he asked nervously.

"I needed to make sure my little Miyu was safe." She sent waves of her love at the blonde girl and glared at the Hyuga, "If only I could've been her sensei."

"Who is she?" The scarred boy asked his friend.

"That's Uzumaki Kushina, Minato-nii's girlfriend." Miyu explained, "We're all staying in the same apartment." He nodded in understanding.

"So she'll probably be your step-sister then?" he asked innocently. Kushina squealed and blushed at the prospect. The men sweatdropped while Miyu shared her excitement.

"Well then," Hizashi coughed into his hand to get their attention, "I need to inform Hokage-sama of the new team. You should probably do the same, Kushina." Hizashi told his comrade before turning to his students, "From tomorrow onwards Team 7 is to meet here at 6:00am sharp."

"Hai, Hizashi-sensei!" The students called back. He chuckled softly to himself, maybe a genin team wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

"So how was it?" Sarutobi asked as this year's jounin senseis lines up before him. Honestly he expected most if not all of them would fail, but lowering the graduation level gave each student more chances and those that were good enough to pass wouldn't be held back.

"Team 1, failed." Shikaku announced.

"Same here." echoed all the other jounins except for one. They all had bored expressions and wanted to be back on the field fighting for their village as soon as possible. So they chose to stare at their comrade who had yet to voice his opinions.

"Team 7, passed." Hizashi spoke with a smile in his voice.

"You didn't go easy on them, right?" the Nara asked with a hint of disbelief.

"I didn't." They could tell he wasn't going to elaborate unless they continued to ask.

"Who did you have?" Inoichi asked.

"Umino Iruka and Namikaze Miyu." Hizashi answered.

"I know Iruka's from an average ninja family but that Miyu kid…" Shikaku thought back, "The apparent long lost sister of our Yellow Flash, isn't she only four years old."

"Another prodigy?" A nameless jounin wondered.

"I think so at least." Hizashi confirmed.

"Damn straight she is!" Kushina shouted proudly, "She's already got the basics down pat and I'm guessing Iruka has as well."

"Well if that's all, you're dismissed, you probably want to get back to your families." The Hokage allowed them to return while Hizashi stayed in his office. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about, Hizashi-san?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," The Hyuga confirmed, "Today I spared with my genin and noticed, with the Byakugan, that Miyu seems to have some unnatural chakra. Though both she and Iruka have high levels for academy graduates her chakra coils seems reinforced in preparation for something I can only guess about and for some reason their seems to be a foreign chakra source around her stomach. To make it more confusing her partner, that fox, also has quite a developed chakra system and its chakra is similar to the foreign one within her." Sarutobi took a moment to think. Konoha's newest resident was still a mystery even after 3 months.

"I've had reports from her time at the hospital and it seems she has some sort of seal on her stomach." The Hokage informed, "We don't know anything about the ninja that brought her up other than their assumed efficiency, and what you've told me is interesting and unusual. I've already called Jiraiya back to look at the seal, which might the reason for her altered coils."

"Seals really can do about anything." Hizashi added wryly. Sarutobi gave him a rather sad smile.

"I'll relay the information you've given to Jiraiya and once he figures out the seal I'll tell you the result. But for now I assume what you saw wasn't bad?"

"It's more of an advantage," Hizashi explained, "like having a spare store of chakra for Miyu. And if that fox could learn to perform jutsu… they would become very powerful."

"I agree." Sarutobi said, "But until Jiraiya comes we can't be sure of what has caused the anomaly in her chakra system."

"Could Minato possible check the seal?" The Hyuga suggested. Sarutobi seemed to be struck with a realization.

"I had completely forgotten about his skills," The old man berated himself, "Of course! Then it would much quicker. Bear!" An Anbu popped into the room right beside Hizashi.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" The rather bulky ninja asked.

"Get Minato Namikaze for me." With a single nod the ninja disappeared.

* * *

**A/N **Thank you for reading.

For all those that love the longer haired Miyu, it will grow back but won't pass her waist this time. But for now she'll keep it short.

...Yes, I put her on Team 7. Sorry if anyone thinks its cliche but I like the number.

And her sensei is Hizashi :D I'm pretty sure most of you were banking on Kushina but I've seen it too many times, plus I like him~

The whole three-man-squad thing is mainly because I don't want to create a major OC to fill in the fourth spot on the team. I guess after the war the team may get an addition... possibly.

And I guess I should also apologize for the lack of action. I'm hoping next chapter we can finish Jiraiya's introduction, Minato figuring out the seal and maybe squeeze in a recon mission to a bandit/rogue nin camp.

Reviews are appreciated. I'll see you all next time :)


	11. Seal Masters

**A/N **Well then...

Ahahha...I'm sorry for my rather sloppy posting habits but I probably won't get better anytime soon. Probably get worse in fact...

In the end I couldn't get up to the C-rank mission but it'll be next chapter. Instead you get a short time skip, important revelations and just as important meetings :)

I'm sorry the story's going so slowly (Maybe not for all of you) but it's just something it does. Don't expect any romance anytime soon (she's only 4), but I can say I'm just as, if not more eager to get to her older years than you, my dear readers.

You guys know the drill, there may be a couple small, yet irritating errors, please let me know if you find one.

Right then, here ya go~

* * *

**~Chapter 10 - SEAL MASTERS**

Miyu was halfway through a cup on instant ramen when Minato entered the apartment. Kurama welcomed him with a thump of his tail, hard enough and aimed at the back of his knees, making the jounin stumble. "Damn fox," He grumbled, catching himself. He could hear the shower running and assumed it was Kushina since the only other occupant was lazing on the couch.

"Welcome back." Miyu greeted with a smile. She had been in a blissful mood all day. She was finally out of the Academy and now had more time to openly devote to her training. Minato smiled widely and swept her up into the air.

"Congratulations, Ms Rookie of the Year." She tried to glare at him for almost spilling her noodles, but he just looked so…proud. "I just heard from Hokage-sama that you and Iruka will be the only new genins this year. You both must've worked so hard."

"Of course." Miyu said with a blinding smile. "I was training every day." Minato didn't doubt her having witness her state when Kakashi carried her back every morning from Gai's intense workout, and when Kushina would whisk her away for some 'basic' training. If he guessed correctly she would be teaching Iruka a few of the things she learnt, as well as 'playing' around with the little Uchiha nearly every day. It was beyond him how meditation and chakra exercises were any fun for children.

"Right, before I forget," He placed he back on the ground, remembering the task he had just received less than ten minutes ago from the Hokage himself. "Miyu, do you mind if I take a look at your seal?" The smaller blonde tensed slightly, panicking on the inside. _What'll I do Ku?!_She thought frantically,_ He'll recognize it!_

**_Well, either way he's going to see it._** Kurama answered calmly, obviously having thought about the situation before.**_ You can't actually stop him. But the seal doesn't exist right now since it was created by him. Though he isn't a seal master for nothing so he'll eventually figure it out…_**_ Then what?!_ He gave the animal equivalent of a shrug, not reassuring her in the least. Meanwhile, Minato took her stiff form as fear.

"I promise it won't hurt." He said softly, "I just need to look at the pattern." She shifted nervously on the spot. It wasn't like she could hide it since the nurse and thus the hospital knew about it. In the end the blue eyed girl nodded reluctantly, lifting her shirt up just enough for him to see the seal. In an instant he had brush in hand as he quickly copied down the pattern. His calligraphy was flawless and each of his strokes were done elegantly. "And that's it." He finished with a final flick of his brush. Miyu let her shirt fall back down as the blonde began to analyse the seal. "It looks familiar, but I'm certain I've never seen anything as complex as this." He muttered under his breath. "Where exactly did you get it from?" He asked the young girl.

"From Papa." She answered instantly. With her 'parents' dead they wouldn't be able to question them, nor would they expect a child to understand the complexities of fuinjutsu.

"Papa, huh." The older blonde let out a small puff of air. "Did he say anything in particular about it?" Minato pressed.

**_Why don't you add a little about our relationship? _**The fox suggested lazily.

"Well," Miyu began, "He said Ku-chan would always be able to help me and in turn I can help Ku."

"Help?" Minato repeated, "Is this the sharing chakra thing I heard about?" Miyu looked back surprised, disregarding the fact it was true, she wondered where he had heard it from.

**_Ah,_** Kurama seemed to have come up with the answer, **_it seems we forgot about your new sensei._** She almost hit herself for being so absent minded. Minato interpreted her shock and silence as confusion, wondering if the girl even knew the possibilities this brought.

"It's such a unique design," He stared at the depiction intensely, becoming completely oblivious to the real world as he submerged himself. Miyu perked up hearing the shower stop and a moment after Kushina entered the living room with a towel draped over her wet hair.

"What's going on?" She asked, walking over to see what her lover was so intent on. "Minato?" She got no answer. "Minato!"

"Gah!?" He jolted looking up to see an expectant face staring at him. "Kushina? What's up?" He responded quickly.

"That's what I was asking you." She answered dryly. "So, what were you so focused on? A seal…" She trailed off as she got a good look at the design. "Where did you get this?" Her voice was serious, searching his blue gaze.

"Do you recognize it?" Minato looked back eagerly. Miyu seemed to notice her tense posture. _What's up Kurama?_ The fox twitched and swiped at his tail.

**_You know, apparently Minato based the Hakke no Fuin off the seal Kushina had._** He explained, **_if that is so, then it wouldn't be strange for her to recognize it…_** Miyu couldn't do anything else than sit back and watch. It seemed that they were destined to decipher the seal, and if that was the case, she was fairly sure she could come up with a lie more believable than time travelling and a second Kyuubi. Then again she could always plead ignorance.

"Yes, but answer my question Minato," Kushina continued, "Where did you see this?" Minato glanced over at Miyu watching Kushina follow from his peripheral vision.

"If you wouldn't mind Miyu." He prompted with a small smile. The girl shrugged and reluctantly lifted her top, showing the bold black lines decorating her navel. There was a sharp intake of breath from the red-head as she stared at the seal.

"It can't be…"

"Can't be what?" Minato asked.

"That's a classic Uzumaki sealing technique. It looks like it was modified to strengthen and fortify it, I'm not sure what else but…" Kushina trailed off again.

"But?" The Namikaze pressed. She sighed and spoke quietly, only meant for his ears.

"Sealing a demon…You must remember the Shisho Fuin." Kurama picked up her words and relayed it back to his partner.

**_They know._** He added,**_ not much, but enough. _**Miyu seemed to notice the worried glances Minato seemed to be shooting her while Kushina tried to unravel the mystery of the seal.

* * *

"So why did you call me here again?" A kimono clad man with long, spiky, white hair tapped his foot impatiently waiting for a reply. "I have my networks to maintain, y'know?"

"My apologies, Jiraiya," Sarutobi apologized, "it was a moment of senility on my part. I still can't believe I forgot about Minato… but still, it would probably be best for you to hear about the findings." The Hokage advised.

"What exactly was it?" He asked curiously as he was handed a parchment with the neatly copied seal on it. His brow furrowed as he tried to analyse the deceptively simple looking design.

"I received that from Minato not long ago. He rushed it to me as soon as he could along with some concerning information." The elderly man sighed tiredly. "You've heard about the young girl we found a not long ago who turned out to be his half-sister correct?"

"Yeah, found with impossible injuries, heals without a scar, has a pet fox and is apparently of Uchiha blood." Jiraiya listed off. He had yet to meet her and would have to make time to do so.

"The very same one," Sarutobi confirmed, "That seal was found on her abdomen."

"It looks familiar…kind of like the Uzumaki seals." The sage commented, "What exactly does it do?"

"You're right when you say it's similar to an Uzumaki seal, more specifically the Shisho Fuin Kushina has." He paused letting his last sentence sink in.

"The seal used for the nine tailed fox?" he kept his tone serious and narrowed his eyes. Looking closely he could pick out different elements here and there. It seemed to be a double of the preceding seal with the purpose at being twice as efficient at sealing something away and allowing access to it. Sarutobi nodded grimly in response. "And what exactly does it do? Has Konoha somehow managed to get its hands on another Jinchuriki?" It was unlikely since his spies had accounted for all the existing tailed beasts, but nothing was ever impossible.

"It's a strange thing," His old teacher began, "As far as I know she doesn't have a tailed beast sealed in her. Instead the seal seems to house a large amount of foreign chakra. That is, a very large amount," He stressed, "It also links her to her fox giving the animal the ability to perform jutsu." Jiraiya noted down the facts in his memory. He would love to get a look at it in action, but now that it wasn't dangerous it could wait.

"Can I meet her?" He asked, "Or do you need me back out on the field?"

"I think the meeting can wait," Sarutobi decided, "Right now I have an important scroll I need delivered to Amegakure."

"I'll finally be able to see those three again then, huh?" Jiraiya smiled lightly, "The alliance will definitely help us out, though I wonder what's in it for them?"

"We can only wonder, but during this war I'll take any help that's offered." The Hokage handed over the precious document which the sage accepted with a brief nod before jumping out of the window and disappearing from sight.

* * *

**~1 month later**

"Iruka!" Miyu collapsed on the floor holding a red stain on her side. Kurama lay unmoving beside her "Go on without me, you must finish the mission!" She coughed and the boy's eyes widened at the red that also appeared on her hand.

"But-" He stuttered clutching the important scroll to his chest.

"Sensei, stayed behind to hold them back and in this state I will only slow you down," She gritted out, "I will stay here…with Ku." She pulled out an ominous tag. "If I see any of the enemies come pass I'll just have to take them out with me!" Iruka felt a few foolish tears slide down his face.

"I will make you both proud so please, live!" He dashed off, hearing a sudden explosion and the warmth of fire behind him. The target wasn't that far off and all he had to do was hand them the scroll. He dodged to the left, seeing a dozed shuriken strike his previous position. Pushing his legs to their limit he dashed into a small alley way as a shortcut and finally came up to the large red doors of the Hokage tower. It would be too slow to enter via the reception and he could be putting other in risk so the boy scaled the walls and jumped through the window, tumbling as he fell. Behind him came a couple of kunai, one nicking his arm and the other clattering on the floor.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The elderly leader shouted in alarm.

"Hokage-sama," Iruka panted, "I've brought the scroll." He quickly passed it to Sarutobi who opened it warily.

"Team 7, has successfully completed their mission," He read aloud with growing irritation, "Signed Mr Fujimoto. If I remember correctly you were just weeding his garden… how did this happen." He gestured to the messy state Iruka was in, cut up in a couple of places and wearing torn and singed clothes.

"W-well…" The boy fidgeted under his unwavering gaze.

"I can explain that, Hokage-sama," Hizashi appeared in perfect condition, a smoky and red-stained Miyu at his side. **_That was quite fun._** The fox yipped in her mind while climbing up to her shoulders.

"Good job Iruka!" She praised.

"Back to the point," Hizashi cleared his throat, "We've already had a month of missions and they were getting a little bored, so why not turn these D-ranks into harder missions with different scenarios? I wasn't really sure what we could do with weeding a garden so I made the trip back here a mission for Iruka. The scenario was that I stayed back to hold off the enemy, who were after the scroll, whole Miyu and Iruka escaped. From there I played the enemy and sent projectiles at them from a range of different directions. Miyu then played the comrade who falls in the line of duty and chooses to die taking as many down as she can with her. Then Iruka, distraught with the loss of his team must strive to reach his objective, you Hokage-sama."

"You're a really good actor, Iruka," Miyu complimented, "For a moment when we were talking you almost convinced me that I was actually dying."

"Ah it's nothing," The boy accepted modestly.

"Will it be like this every time?" The Hokage sighed, looking at the mess in his office. The three nodded seriously in reply, "You've worked hard and turned in 46 D-ranks during this month I think I can let you off with a couple of C-ranks now and then, so please don't panic the citizens with your antics."

"Hai Hokage-sama." Hizashi replied.

* * *

"And that," their sensei said proudly as they entered training ground 7, "Is how you get higher ranked missions."

"By threatening to throw civilians into panic?" Iruka wondered, "Why couldn't we just ask?"

"Where would the fun be in that?" Miyu answered, "Plus Jiji must have been getting bored with all the paperwork. We were a good break." Her team had already come to understand that her nicknames where some sort of sign of respect, though watching a young girl disrespect the most powerful ninja in the village, right to his face was still nerve-wracking.

"It looks like we might be getting higher ranked missions from tomorrow onwards but for now let's train." Hizashi walked the two to a small river that cut through the grounds. "Iruka, you'll be continuing where we left of yesterday, and Miyu, you'll be sparing with me." The brunette muttered unhappily and stripped to his boxers revealing a fit young body. He had been working on trying to gain muscle mass but as a child it was a slow process. He had already gotten rid of any embarrassment he felt between his team and took an unsteady step on top of the water. Once he got to the middle Kurama jumped and landed neatly on his head, before pawing and trying to distract the poor boy. Meanwhile his owner had already begun exchanging strikes with her teacher. It was probably for the best that her teacher specialised in taijutsu seeing as it was one of the things she struggled the most in.

"Hah!" She executed a revamped version of the Konoha Senpuu, launching a high kick then a low spinning kick and then following through with a round house kick. Her teacher fended them all off and returned with a couple well aimed strikes she barely dodged. **_The sparring you do with the Hyuga has helped regained sense of your body,_** Kurama said while sitting on Iruka's head. His tail swished back and forth before the boy's nose, **_so now you should endeavour to push yourself further. Taijutsu was never one of your strong points._**

"Ah-AHCHOO!" Iruka's sneeze was followed by a loud splash as he fell in. Kurama yipped his laughter out, staying on the surface by his own skill.

"Pay attention Miyu," Hizashi caught her in a moment of distraction and sent her sprawling onto the ground. "If you weren't a kunoichi I'd have qualms about injuring such a cute girl, but…" He sighed dramatically. She had never known him in her time but here Miyu knew Hizashi to be somewhat out of the norm for a Hyuga.

"It's fine, as a ninja I'm expecting to get a few battle scars anyway," She smiled almost in longing. Back in her old time no matter how many battles she had gone through her body was never marred, a fact which left her surprisingly saddened. Though they were her enemies, she had faced off against good ninja, and she thought it was an insult towards them if her body didn't show the damage done. She placed her hand over her heart, remembering the only scar she received.

"Has anyone told you that you're a strange girl?" Her sensei rubbed the back of his head and helped her up before going to check on his other student. Iruka had his face scrunched up in concentration as he jumped up and down, staying above the water this time.

"Yeah, a couple." Ku snickered in her mind while walking up to meet them.

"Right," Hizashi clapped his hands for their attention, "Iruka, take a small break. You'll be sparing with Miyu next." The boy looked torn between cheering and groaning. He could finally get off the early winter-chilled water, but at the sake of some bad bruising from a four-year old. He stayed indecisive as he walked off the river and redressed himself watching Miyu in the middle of some stretches before deciding to do some as well. Hizashi couldn't have been happier as he watched his two students. They learned fast, didn't act like brats and respected him. Even if the Hokage had forced him to take on students at least he could say teaching them was a joy. "Alright then," He had their attention almost immediately and smiled lightly at the kids, "Let's hurry and start sparring. Then we'll work on more chakra control and finally jutsus to finish up. The Hyuga indicated at a sturdy tree and both students gathered chakra in their feet before walking up. Facing each other on the vertical surface they were given the signal to begin.

* * *

"I'm back." Miyu got home dead tired and trudged her way into the kitchen. She opened the cupboard, her gaze passing over the limited edition deluxe ramen set she had gotten for Minato's birthday a week ago. It became a frequent thing to see the blonde jounin standing in front of the noodles with his mind warring whether or not he should eat them or keep the delicious noodles for sentimental value.

"Welcome home." Kushina greeted, lying on the couch and flicking through some magazines. The red-head had also given Minato a wonderful present as well, and was thus on leave for the next nine to ten months. Miyu was anxious yet excited. She was going to be an aunt… to herself…

**_Confusing isn't it?_** Kurama noted, padding onto a comfortable chair to curl up on. She nodded but pushed further thoughts out of her mind.

"How was your day, Kushina-neechan?" She asked.

"Boring!" The woman moaned, rolling around on the couch, "I don't know if I can take ten months of nothing."

"Maybe you need a hobby?" Miyu suggested.

"Maybe," Kushina greed thoughtfully, "I'll have to visit Mikoto-chan, I heard she's expecting as well. Maybe we can knit together." For a brief moment an image of a golden haired baby in warm, hand knitted clothes flitted through her mind along with the uncomfortable feeling of jealousy. Miyu dropped the though in shock._ What do I have to be jealous for?_She berated herself internally, _my life was perfectly fine and I even have the chance to do it over. _

**_Define 'perfectly fine'._** Kurama drawled as he yawned._ It was good enough. I would've gotten all I ever dreamed of if it wasn't for that masked bastard. I would've been happy._**_But you didn't get anything, you had nothing left… you are allowed to feel jealousy y'know. If your plan works out this child will grow up happy and loved like you should've._** The demon's words were comforting, but she refused to fall to such a petty emotion. _I'm going to spoil that kid rotten._ Miyu declared stubbornly.

"You should definitely." Miyu said aloud re-joining the conversation, "A pair of warm socks and mittens, a nice scarf and a cute beanie." She listed off possible clothing items.

"They would be perfect." Kushina sighed dreamily. Orange would be the perfect colour, a perfect mix of red and yellow.

"I'm home!" A cheerful voice called out as the front door was pushed open, "And I brought some guests." There were three set of footsteps as far as Miyu could tell.

"Kushina!" a second voice greeted. It was warm and hearty, the familiar low tenor bringing a small ache to Miyu's heart. "I heard about the good news, congratulations."

**_Kit._** The fox hopped of his perch and rubbed his face in her side in a soothing manner.

"Ero-sennin!" Kushina chirped back, "It's nice to see you're doing well." Miyu could hear the grumbles and snickers that followed.

"I'm the great toad sage dammit, I demand some respect!" the sage rounded the corner and Miyu was able to catch a glance at her estranged godfather. He was a lot younger, she noticed, several of the lines which used to crease his face missing. His white hair wasn't as long and he seemed ever so slightly thinner. He turned his head and she caught his gaze as he studied her. "Is this the cute little Miyu-chan my idiot student won't stop rambling about?" He asked in a light tone.

"Hey!" Minato cried indignantly, entering the living room with a gorgeous blue haired woman who scanned the area lightly.

"Hello." Miyu waved with a small smile, "I'm Namikaze Miyu." Seeing him was almost as bad as the first time she same Kakashi, but a least the little warning she got helped her to brace herself.

"She's tiny." Jiraiya told his student not noticing the way the girl twitched in annoyance.

"She's perfect!" Minato countered stupidly.

"Whatever you say," the sage shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Nice to meet you midget." The tiny girl growled at him.

"I'm not a midget!" She snapped at him, "Stupid Ero-jiji." She let out a satisfied smirk as he spluttered at the name.

"Ero-jiji?!" He repeated, "I am the great toad sage! One of the three Sannin Jiraiya! I'm not just your everyday pervert," all four of the audience waited for the inevitable last statement, "I'm a super pervert!"

"Idiot." Minato snorted at the self-proclaimed menace. "Anyway… Kushina, Miyu, I'd like you to meet Konan." He introduced the woman at his side, "She's one of Ame's leaders and came over to visit Konoha and chat with the Hokage."

"Welcome," Kushina extended her hand with a warm smile, "I'm Uzumaki Kushina."

"It's a pleasure." Konan smiled back and shook the offered hand. She then turned towards the tanned girl with short blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes, her gaze straying slightly to the fox by her side. Miyu tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"Namikaze Miyu, and this is my partner Ku-chan," She greeted. "It's nice to meet you." Konan hid her surprise and confusion well, as one would expect of any trained ninja.

"Same here, Miyu-chan." She replied.

* * *

**A/N **Thanks for reading and being patient.

Ahah... I made Hizashi a bit of a weird dude... but let's just make him the Obito of the Hyuga (but less... y'know).

I guess next chapter I'll slip in some sappy Miyu and Jiraiya moments (Maybe just Miyu and her thoughts...) maybe they can go get ice-cream...

Just for those wondering, Miyu arrived in the past on October tenth exactly one year before the Nine Tails attacks. As of now its been about five months and they're in February (1st to be specific).

Thanks for bearing with me.

I'll see you eventually~


	12. Sunrise, sunset, departure

**A/N **Welcome back my dear readers.

Right. So the deal with the poll... maybe it wasn't so smart to allow three choices (and I have it in my mind to redo it, but would that be too troublesome for you guys?). There are two people extremely close together at the top so I doubt Naru/Miyu will be getting there own personal harem ahahahah.

Though can you let me know if you want her to get both guys, or prefer if she would only have one (The second option will probably require the poll to be redone). Also depending on how her love will be divided in the story allows for different secondary pairings, (ie Konan~). Obviously if she get's one guy all other pairings will be couples otherwise...(Get ready for random pairings)

On another note we see a bit more of Konan and Jiraiya in this chapter (Don't worry if you think there's too little pervy sage cause he'll appear more in later chapters). And Jiraiya may be slightly ooc, I'm sorry.

Kushina's pregnant with little Naruto, and so is Mikoto with Sasuke. I guess about this time there are going to be a lot of pregnant women (y'know, for the rookie twelve and what not).

For those worried about the breaking of the traditional four-man team, after the war (*cough*in the next 2-3 chapters*cough*) they may get another teammate.

Akatsuki, for those that don't know or have forgotten, was created by Yahiko as a resistance group in Ame, so it does exist. But, unlike the latter part of the canon story line, it probably won't become a gathering of S-rank missing nin with rather evil motives (just saying).

Rin is going to be a wildcard (who may or may not die depending on how I feel). It's a bit hard to write her since I know nothing about her so I've begun to avoid her (seeing as she is mostly absent from the story at this moment...)

Alright, I think that was all I needed to say for now...by the way I apologize for the rather boring(? un-actiony?) plotline right now, but there's only so much she can do right now. The bandit camp missino changed so get ready for some surprises, fighting and a guest appearance (I wonder if you can guess? I won't be giving any/much hints).

* * *

**~Chapter 11 - Sunrise, Sunset, Departure**

"So how old is she?" Jiraiya asked his student.

"Four, I think." Minato answered.

"So, another prodigy then." Konoha was getting an awful lot of them lately, first the younger Hatake, then this little chibi-Minato and apparently the Uchiha's heir. What was next? The Hyuga?

"Mmhm," Minato hummed in agreement, "She and Iruka were the only two to pass the genin test."

"Really? The Umino's kid?" Jiraiya thought back to a young brunet with a large bandage over his nose.

"Yep." The two men watched the two women chat about Kushina's pregnancy, with Miyu throwing in her own opinion every now and then.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Konan asked.

"No, I think right now we have to get use to me being pregnant." Kushina smiled and placed a hand on her flat stomach, "I'm not even showing yet." Konan nodded in agreement, the kunoichi looked as fit as ever. "Do you have anyone?" the Uzumaki asked earnestly.

"Ahh," The blue haired blushed lightly, sparking Miyu's interest, "I-I… not really."

"Who is it!?" Miyu asked curiously.

"W-well no one really…" Konan shifted uncomfortably under the intense blue gaze.

"Don't worry, your secrets safe here," Kushina added, "Were in an entirely different village in the first place and I think that's far enough away from home... unless the guy in question is over here…" She shifted her gaze to Jiraiya in a joking manner.

"No!" the foreign kunoichi denied frantically.

"So…" Ku threw in his puppy eyes, wondering if they would help any. Konan gave a resigned sigh.

* * *

"Namikaze Miyu? Is that your real name?" Konan asked once she had got the small girl alone. The other adults were in the living room catching up while Ku was out hunting, leaving the two alone in her room.

"Yes. Is what I'm known by and what people address me as." Miyu defined. There would be no hiding in front of the blue haired woman but at the same time Konan would never get the entirety of her story. "How's Ame doing?" Konan stared at her speculatively.

"Good." She gave, "We have been quick to recover from the civil war and after gaining Konoha's alliance the villagers seem to have a better sense of security, knowing we are no longer alone. Our ninja have been efficient with our missions and I think yesterday Yahiko managed to get one of the younger Roots to smile." Miyu was pleasantly surprised, things were going much better than she hoped then.

"The ninja in Root have done nothing wrong, and by now you should have noticed how emotionless they are." She replied, "I sincerely thank you for returning some semblance of their humanity."

"I see you received my gift." Konan said spotting the origami bouquet by her table.

"It's beautiful, thank you for that by the way," Miyu smiled. She didn't even have to take care of them as they stayed as pristine as when the first arrived. Slate grey eyes stared piercingly at the young girl as they tried to discern her, to unravel the mystery of her appearance and strength.

"Is this what you look like?" The older woman asked after cautiously.

"If you're wondering if I'm truly a child then the answer is yes." The blonde sighed.

"Then how?" In the entirety of her stay in Amegakure, Konan had visited and spent most of her time with the 'woman', yet had never detected signs of a henge.

"Just an advanced version of a D-rank jutsu." Miyu explained, "I could show you?" The girl offered after a moment of thought, "It doesn't take too much effort to perform, but requires a bit of chakra to regulate it, more so if you're using it for an extended amount of time."

"Maybe another time." Konan declined. Hopefully this offer would give her an excuse to visit again, to come see the strange child who had defeated the legendary Hanzo. Many questions flitted through her mind giving her trouble as to which one to ask. "Then," Konan began, "How are you so strong? How strong are you?"

"…I train," Miyu replied, "Whenever I can. I'm not nearly strong enough yet." So she would become even more powerful, the thought would have unnerved the older kunoichi but for some strange reason it didn't.

"I think you're already plenty strong." She added, "With that fox and those eyes, you are an army of your own. Why do you need more?" Miyu shrugged.

"To protect." She answered simply, "To stop anything that dares harms anyone or anything precious to me." The blue haired gave a small nod of understanding.

"I can understand that," Konan said slowly. In fact, it was the same mindset she and her own teammates shared. "It is not something you must do alone though…"

"I'm not. I will protect with all my ability and Ku will be the one to keep me safe." Miyu stated with certainty. She seemed so much older, wearier, than her child body allowed. And despite how she appeared Konan would not treat her as a child, everything she picked up on went against that simple façade. The bright smile that contrasted against grim determination, the power that should be impossible for her to have, the deception of her appearance yet her honest personality and the darkness that held no malice, that was the true essence of Namikaze Miyu.

"The one Amegakure is indebted is you," Konan declared, "And as such, regardless of whatever is needed, we will stand behind you, at your beck and call until that debt is repaid."

"And what debt would that be?" Miyu asked with a wry smile.

"The gift of our freedom."

* * *

- - - - - _Dream_ - - - - -

Naru huffed, hefting the extra baggage over her shoulder before continuing to her main destination. She maneuvered through the streets of Konoha, passing the weary looking citizens, and stopped in front of a supermarket. Already, prices had begun to rise, it was inevitable in times of war but at least everyone understood that, and for now they were still very reasonable.

"What can I help you with today, Uzumaki-sama?" The attendant asked.

"I've told you countless times to just call me Naru, these formalities are too stiff for me," The blonde replied with a small yawn, "I was up all night searching for this bastard so I just need to pick up some groceries." She nudged Boy Wonder who was still unconscious. Maybe she had hit him too hard?

"I couldn't possibly disrespect you in such away," The attendant replied as usual, while she purchased some vegetables.

"Right, then I guess I'll see you later then." Naru gave a small wave before walking back to her passenger's home. Walking through the residential area she stepped past a couple of guards into a large compound after a small greeting.

"Welcome, Naru-sama." They intoned quietly, sighing in relief as they spotted their astray clansmen.

"Better go alert Hiashi that I've found our missing idiot." One of the guards nodded and left immediately while the other resumed his watch. Naru trudged her way to the branch section and pushed oped the door before dropping the groceries and man. He groaned in response, finally coming to.

"Naru?" The kimono clad brunette asked groggily, "What the hell is going on here?" The last thing he could remember was running through the Forest of Death before he was knocked out from behind.

"We're back at the compound," She pointed to the bags of groceries behind him, "And that is going to be your food for the next few days instead of whatever you've been eating in that godforsaken forest. And your uncle will be in her in a couple of moments, hopefully to give you a good tongue lashing." Exactly on time the doors burst open and Hiashi strode in with unconcealed worry.

"Neji!" He exclaimed in relief, pulling his nephew up into a crushing hug unbefitting of the stoic clan. Naru sat back, watching in amusement as Neji got the lecturing of his life afterwards. Hiashi definitely didn't go easy on the young man, droning on for the next couple of hours about Neji's foolishness. He only relented when the moon rose up into the sky, and his youngest daughter came in to find him.

"Otou-san, it's getting late," Hanabi called, peeking from behind the door, "You should let Neji-niisan rest." She spotted Naru and gave her a small smile which the blonde returned warmly. Hanabi understood this was the woman her loved ones fought together with, the one who would succeed Lady Tsunade's position and the one her sister had admired, but more importantly Naruto Uzumaki was the one who had freed her clan and removed the seal from Neji's forehead.

Hiashi sighed but agreed with his daughter, his last remaining daughter, and left the room with a promise to be back early next morning. As the newbie genin disappeared from view, Naru's gaze turned sad thinking back to her deceased friend. Hinata, kind, gentle Hinata, with her beautiful pale eyes and long dark hair. So fragile yet so strong, she sacrificed herself for the safety of her team.

"Naru?" She was jolted from her reminiscing by Neji, who was watching her with worry, "Are you alright?"

"I think I should be asking you that." Naru replied dodging the question. She was a horrible liar but had found a simple solution in just not answering a question. Neji grunted, truthfully he felt horrible, lost and worst of all weak. "Right, here's the plan for tonight." Naru called pulling out a sealing scroll. She added a tiny amount of chakra and several ceramic bottles popped out along with a pair of small dishes. She uncorked a bottle a poured the clear liquid into both dishes. "We're going to drink our worries away." The blonde stated looking completely serious.

"Aren't those Tsunade-sama's?" Neji questioned, spotting the labels on the sake.

"Yep," Naru replied, handing him the hand sized dish, "A privilege of being Hokage candidate." She picked up her own and locked arms with her old friend. "Now drink." They downed the liquid at the same time, feeling the burn in their throat. Yep, it was high quality stuff.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Miyu woke up slowly. It was an hour before dawn in the morning and it seemed Ku had returned, now waiting outside for her with a fresh carcass. She threw on a grey jumper and some comfortable pants before checking on her seals. A couple of taps here and there and she was moved up to level 6. Once again resistance levels seemed to increase and she was forced to push chakra into her limbs to move efficiently. Stepping outside, Ku was waiting in a quite space in the undergrowth with another dead, and neatly eaten tiger.

**_More stew?_** He asked as the girl quickly skinned and packed away the remains of the carcass.

"Mmhm." She hummed in answer. She did promise to treat the Ame leaders and now Konan was here she could take some back. She'd have to introduce Kushina and Jiraiya to her famous recipe as well.

"Hm? What are you doing out this early midget?" Jiraiya asked, casually walking up to the girl. Honestly he had been watching her since the moment she woke up but decided to make himself known after watching her efficiently butcher the overly large feline.

"Ero-jiji?!" The girl jolted in surprise. Neither her nor the fox had picked up the man, maybe he had been downwind?

"Midget." He replied to his own derogatory name. They stared each other for a few moments as he tried to see whatever he could find in her eyes. When he had first seen her it had been a mixture of recognition, sorrow, hope and happiness, weariness and determination. Now the mass of emotions seemed to have been masked carefully except for trace amounts melancholy. Unusual for sure, something he would check into. "Let's go for a walk." The sage suggested. Miyu merely shrugged and followed him on a very familiar path, down the business district, into a small's sweets shop. She stood by outside as he made his purchase and lead her up to the top of the Hokage Monument. "Here." He unwrapped a frozen treat and split the double popsicle between them, handing her half.

"Thank you," her voiced wavered slightly. It was a simple yet heart-warming gesture. A lost tradition she had missed after his passing. They sat together silently, watching as the sun rose over their precious village. All the while Jiraiya observed her from his peripheral vision. Any other kid would be complaining out of boredom, of course with a few exceptions like the little Uchiha and last Hatake. It looked like Minato's angel would have to be added to the small list.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He commented. It was times like this he wondered how his teammates could leave their home.

"It is." She wondered if her former sensei would ever realize how precious this view was to her. It was like seeing her loved ones again. It reminded her of all the joys and hardships they went through together and served as a reminder to what she was fighting for. Kurama curled tightened around her shoulders, having climbed up and fallen asleep not too long ago. That response was all Jiraiya needed from her. It erased any doubts he may have had about the tiny blonde child. The raw emotions he saw in her eyes told him that this girl would never harm Konoha, she would protect this village with all her might till her dying breath, and for some strange reason Jiraiya felt as if she already had.

* * *

"Guess what I've picked up." Hizashi said cheerfully, walking into training ground 7 to meet his team. Watching both go through some simple katas together brought a smile to his lips. Taking on a genin team had done the recently widowed man wonders, and anyone that couldn't see that would have to be blind.

"Good morning Hizashi-sensei." His cute little genins greeted in synch. Kurama barked out his own little greeting as well.

"Good morning you two." He smiled and waved the scroll, "So what do you think?"

"It's our first C-rank!" Iruka exclaimed excitedly.

"Correct!" Hizashi shouted back with the same enthusiasm. "So for today we'll forgo training. Instead you're going to have to go home and pack for a couple of nights out of the village. Catch a nap if you can, we'll be moving by night, and meet me at the village gates at sunset." He headed back to the compound to set up a babysitter, leaving behind his eager students.

"I'm going to run home then." Iruka decided, maybe he could get his mum to help him pack, "I'll see you later Miyu-chan!"

"Right." She watched her teammates leave and proceeded home herself, making a couple of stops along the way. First she managed to catch a spandex wearing teen on one of his jogs to inform him of her departure. She wouldn't be able to train with him for the next couple of day so Gai spontaneously decided he would train enough for both of them, efficiently doubling his schedule. Next she made her way to the Uchiha compound, smiling as the guards greeted her respectfully. She returned their gesture with a bright smile and made her way to her favourite little prodigy.

**_Chibitachi~_** Kurama called as he skipped along beside her. The young Uchiha knew how to give the best pats, second only to Miyu herself.

"Miyu?" Itachi managed to spot the sunny blonde after hearing the fox's bark.

"Ah, Itachi I have to tell you something important." Miyu called, jogging up to him. "My team and I are going to be away on a mission for the next couple of days so I won't be able to train with you." She announced.

"Alright then," The Uchiha replied stoically, refraining himself from pouting. "Is that all?"

"Yeah, I need to get home and pack. We're leaving around sunset." He wished her good luck before she left, wanting to hurry up and become a ninja as well.

* * *

"Right Team!" Hizashi exclaimed, catching their attention, "Have you got everything you need and alerted your guardians?"

"Hai, sensei!" His genins gave a mock salute. Miyu had sealed away everything she needed into a couple of scrolls and changed into durable boots and a reinforced fishnet shirt. Her weapons were all accounted for and packed into the pouch at her hip and she knew Iruka had gone through the exact same preparations. He had changed from his customary t-shirts into a navy turtleneck, and a useful multi-pocketed pair of pants. She looked to Ku trying to remember if she had forgotten anything. After arriving home she had made enough stew for Konan to take back, Jiraiya and Kushina to try, and for some previsions she sealed away. She had packed some standard equipment for a possible B-rank and then taken a small nap like suggested.

**_You should be fine,_** Kurama decided. She was sufficiently prepared unless this became another unfortunate C-rank turned A-rank, but what were the chances of that?

"You better not have jinxed this…" Miyu muttered under her breath. _Haku and Zubaza huh… I wonder if I could save them? _She thought idly.

"Right, so we'll be doing border patrol for the next 3 days, not including the day it takes to get there. We're to relieve the team stationed at the edge of Wind country." Hizashi briefed, "We'll be moving quickly and should arrive at Takumi village in central Tanigakure by midnight. We're restricted to moving by night so you can spend the day in the village however you want." Their sensei allowed, "For now let's get moving." They took to the canopy and travelled quickly, Miyu with a certain bounce in her step.

**_Takumi village, in the Land of Rivers, also known as the village of artisans,_** Kurama remembered vaguely, **_known for the quality and abundance of weaponry. _**Miyu vaguely remembered visiting there in the past when she had started to pick up different weapon styles. She was never as skilled as Tenten in her mastery but she was confident enough that she was advanced in certain areas. Bojutsu in memory of Sarutobi, which then branched out to include spears, naginatas and three-quarter staffs. A pair of jutte or tonfa to strengthen her close combat skills. Tessen, after a helpful tip, to channel her wind affinity. Chakra blades after their more recent owners had passed, and a mediocre amount of kenjutsu that allowed for proficiency with a chokuto and tanto.

No, she wouldn't say weapons were her strong point, but she could cause a lot of bloodshed, and at that time that was all she needed to do. Plus in the end, despite her longing for them, she had never acquired a proper katana. **_Why not rebuild your meagre collection?_** The fox suggested. **_And while you're at it we can add some more swords. Katana, wakizashi, nodachi, whatever you feel like._** Miyu nodded, it sounded like a good idea, though would probably take a large chunk out of her current funds. _But Takumi village…_

"Hizashi-sensei," Miyu called softly as the team moved onwards.

"Is anything wrong?" The Hyuga was in charge of flanking the team while Iruka scouted just a little but ahead.

"I was wondering about Takumi Village," The girl replied, "Will they welcome us there?" Hizashi had to think about what she meant specifically, not minding the way Iruka slowed to listen to the conversation.

"Honestly, I can be sure. They are a bit resentful of ninja for almost never responding to their help request despite the fact they supply quality weaponry. But at the same time it's stuck between two waring villages, Konoha and Suna, so the situation there is likely to be unfavourable." He explained slowly.

"Why don't we ever send them help?" Iruka asked. He knew Konoha was a kind village that helped all its allies, why was this place an exception?

"Most of the time we just don't have the resources, with all these wars and such going on. It's also the fact that most missions aren't worthwhile. Either a delivery to a far off land that is likely to be hostile or bandit camps which usually pass over in a few days." The man shrugged, "We'll be going in henged anyway so there's no need to worry about the facts, instead worry about what you're going to look like."

* * *

**A/N** Thanks for reading, yet again.

Because there wasn't a particular point to this chapter the title was pretty hard to come up with (in fact I wrote this note before going back and thinking up one...)

Here we finally see where Ame's alliance lies, and a bit more of Konan (who understands that Miyu would probably remain a mystery.)

There's another flash back, now with Neji~ And sadly enough it is now confirmed that Hinata is dead (some of you probably caught the hint in the previous flashback), dying to save her teammates.

And the mission became border control... (Between waring nations you have some proper fights to look forward to.)

I'm also going to give Miyu some weapons. Woo~ Legendary sword! Hahah, nah. There won't be anything like 'The Legendary Sword of the Chosen One of the Dragon Champion that is Completely Invincible. Instead they'll be kind of like Kusanagi (Orochimaru's 'cut-through-anything sword'). I'll have to think of some of the details and each major weapon will be in the Author's Note at the bottom of each chapter like new jutsu.

Right so a brief summary of her weaponry skills;

Naru, having grown till nineteen in the times of war, was very proficient at using weapons. So much so she could be counted as a weapons mistress (But specialises in a certain few and is still below Tenten's level of mastery).  
In general she stays away from heavy weapons such as axes, clubs and finicky types like bows and whips. She is proficient in most forms of Bojutsu (in memory of Sarutobi Hiruzen), including three-sectioned staffs and spears. Her taijutsu is usually accompanied by a pair of jutte or tonfa and to some extent tessen.  
While apprenticed under Kakashi she became skilled at the use of a Tanto and at some point in time after Shikamaru's death (...yeah, I'm gonna need a flashback of intense sadness for that...) she picked up Asuma's chakra blades and was practically a natural. After Sasuke's death she also acquired his chokuto and for a point in time it was her primary weapon after her original one (the tanto) was destroyed.  
She always had a fondness for swords and after being sent to the past will pick up some rather legendary ones.


	13. The Puppeteer of the Red Sand

**A/N** Rightio!

I have a couple of things I need to specify. Miyu will not be all powerful/god-like. She will be strong but not for a long while. E.g she's probably not going to be able to beat Minato until she's in her late teens (not including Kurama's help) i.e. without Kurama she wouldn't have been able to beat Hanzo (Sharingan or not), but at the same time, having the ninetails on your side really helps.

For anyone who was worried about the whole giving her the (quote from Oenix) 'super-powerfull-of-death-dojustu-just-beacause-it's-cool', this was my reply to someone who was concerned;

'Well she has the sharingan mainly because I think it's one of the few things that can counter, well, the sharingan.  
This Tobi guy will, just like in the manga, be practically unbeatable (Even if she has Kurama seeing as he will ressurect the Jyuubi and what not.) 10 tails vs 9 tails, mangekyo vs. mangekyo

... and she somehow has to be able to stop the ninetails attack on Konoha the first time round. Seeing as the Kyuubi is being controlled with the sharingan, hers can act to counteract it... probably

I also think the sharingan is a nice way to tie her to the Uchiha, who will be playing a fairly big role in my plot, and at the same time it was supposed to have a deeper meaning with her and Sasuke's bromance.

If it helps, it's also last resort thing for her (and when I say last resort I mean last resort). Her skill with it is going to be sloppy due to lack of use for the most part as well.

Her power will come from training and her past knowledge, and only later on will she be able to defeat jounins. As in right now she is four and definitely can't defeat Hizashi on her own. (With the sharingan she would still have a hard time, and most likely lose, unless Kurama joins in.)'

Right! And the weapon thing I added... no she will not become another Tenten. Her weapon choice is actually quite limited when you compare her skills with Tenten, and Miyu is going to be average for most weapons. (i.e. while she can probably best most chunin, she will not be able to beat someone who specializes. So like Gekko Hayate, she wouldn't have been able to beat him in Kenjutsu.)

Everything I do is definitely because of a reason. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have anymore worries.

So, onwards with the next chapter.

* * *

**~Chapter 12 - THE PUPPETEER OF THE RED SAND**

It was midnight when three strangers strode into Takumi village. A stern looking man in his forties with short brown hair, peppered with grey, and dark brown eyes, led the two others in. On his right stood a younger male in his teens, with cropped brown hair and the same dark eyes, looking rather ordinary. To his left was a slightly older looking woman, sharing the same brown hair cut to her shoulders and slightly lighter shaded eyes. From the traits they shared it was easy to assume they were family. "Quickly, Chie, Hiro. The inn is nearby." The older man ordered gently.

"Hai, Otou-san," His children replied as they quickened their pace. The made their way to a building exuding warm light and stepped through the door, the soft tinkering of a bell alerting the owners of their arrival.

"Welcome." And elderly man said with a small yawn. He hadn't expected anyone else to come tonight so it was a good thing he was a light sleeper, "How can I help you?"

"We need a room for the night," the father explained.

"We have plenty of space tonight, would you like to separate rooms or stay together?" He watched as the parent shared a look with his children.

"Together." He decided, placing a couple of coins on the table.

"Room 14," The innkeeper said, taking the money and handing them a key, "It's a four bed room on the second floor." The man gave him a brief nod and left for his room with his son following behind.

"Thank you." Chie said quietly with a smile, before catching up with her family.

* * *

"Make sure you keep out of trouble," their father reminded with a stern look. They were standing outside of the inn in the early afternoon, "And make sure to be back by sunset."

"Hai, Otou-san." The two children replied in synch. He gave them a nod of farewell before ambling down the road to his own destination, a sake bar.

"So what are you going to do, M-Chie?" Hiro asked, catching himself at the end of the sentence.

"I'm going to go shopping for some sealing equipment and see what else I can find along the way," She answered, "Feel free to do whatever you want, just be careful alright." Chie warned.

"Right." He nodded before making his way to a small bookshop, leaving the elder sibling alone. From there she made her way down bustling streets, passing multiple stores and scrutinizing their wares. Takumi village had truly earned its name as the village of artisans. She had a hefty amount of ryo she could spend but would be careful to be sure that each purchase was worth it.

"Over there! Young lady!" A rough voice called, "How about a beautiful hairpin to match your own beauty?" It was flattering for sure, and to keep up her ordinary façade Chie decided to see his wares. The man did not disappoint, each ornament had been beautifully crafted, from the delicate looking combs to the ornate pins. She spotted a floral hairpin, decorated with white blossoms that with several hanging down from threads and picked it up. It would be a nice gift she decided. That thought led her to do a bit more of her gift shopping here. Chie picked up another pin, which had soft, warm-looking blooms bursting at the end, and a dark wooden comb, decorated with golds and reds.

"Could I get these?" She asked, handing showing them to the vendor.

"Of course. Are they going to be gifts?" He asked, calculating the total.

"Yes," Chie smiled warmly, "I came to the village with my father and brother on one of his delivery trips, while my mother stayed at home. Her body is ill so I hope a gift can help her get better faster."

"She must be happy to have such a thoughtful daughter." The vendor responded, "The total comes to 17,000 ryo." A bit pricy, but for the quality she was getting Chie happily handed over the money. "Thanks for your patronage." She nodded her head in his direction and began to leave when he caught her attention again. "Wait, have this as well. As a gift." He pushed an extra pin into her hand.

"Thank you." She said earnestly. It was simple with metallic flowers painted a dark blue and leaves hanging off the end. She thanked him once more and discretely sealed the items away into her pouch. It looks like she would have to grow her hair out again if she hoped to wear it. She looked around and it soon became obvious she was in a district specialising in female wares. Deciding to check the other areas she walked further down the street and took a left. This was definitely more like it. There was several rough buildings, different blacksmiths, specialising in different tools.

**_Perfect_**, a deep voice purred in her mind. Chie shrugged it off and went to check the closest one. It seemed to specialise in axes, not really what she had in mind so she moved to the next one.

* * *

"Welcome back." Her father greeted. The sun was just beginning to set and she was the last one to arrive.

"Did you buy anything?" Hiro asked curiously. He himself had bought a couple of books.

"Yep." Chie was very happy with her purchase, and her funds were only slightly dented.

"It's good you two enjoyed yourselves," the older man stated with a smile, "let's get going then." His children followed him out of the town, mingling with the thinning crowd, and before long they were back in the forest. The trio disappeared into the canopy and immediately began jumping from branch to branch, a fox appearing alongside them. Letting the henge drop, they reverted back to their everyday appearance.

"So what did you buy Miyu?" Hizashi asked curiously, "I know Iruka spent the day flittering through the bookstalls but I didn't manage to spot you."

"I went to get some gifts, sealing equipment, and then visited the blacksmiths." She replied casually. It seemed the bounty she had received from Hanzo would last quite a while.

"Blacksmiths?" He repeated, "You'll definitely have to show me your purchases when we return to Konoha, especially if you're planning to learn a weapon."

"Hai, sensei." Miyu responded. Despite her and Kurama's talks of rebuilding her collection she hadn't bought more than two different ones. It looked like it was going to be a slow process.

**_If you weren't so picky it would be quicker._** Kurama grumbled. Miyu shrugged, weapons could wait.

The hours dragged on and they had a single short break to recharge their energy. Hizashi was happy his team seemed fit enough to endure the journey. It was a bit tasking to ask it of a genin squad but Iruka and Miyu were more than able.

"I can sense four people up ahead." Iruka announced. "What do we do?"

"That's the team we're reliving," Their sensei explained, his Byakugan activated, easily identifying the ninja. "Let's head up and meet them." Their break was cut short as the three dashed to their targets. The jounin and his team were on high alert when they popped out of the trees, one of his team having drawn his sword. "Relax, Keiji, it's me." Hizashi, greeted with a small wave.

"Hizashi." The man was definitely relieve. He gave a signal and the drawn sword was sheathed. "It's good to see you're doing well. Is this your team?" He looked towards Iruka and then Miyu, "They look a bit young, especially the girl."

"Yes. This is Umino Iruka and Namikaze Miyu." Hizashi introduced, "Guys, this man is Takahashi Keiji and his team." His students gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Namikaze, huh. You really do look alike." Keiji commented. "Anyway this here is my team." He swept a hand over his trio. They were of varying ages but two looked vaguely familiar. Especially when the one with the katana coughed a bit. "Morino Ibiki, Gekko Hayate and Itou Tokara." Ibiki seemed to be the oldest by a couple of years and still had his bandana, which seemed like a trait among his team. Miyu had never met Tokara, though the light-haired ninja seemed alright.

**_Gekko, he would be a good sparring partner once you have some swords._** Ku intoned. He had never left the trees, instead opting to watch from his vantage point.

"As you can see, my team is pretty tired so we'll be taking our leave," Keiji informed, "I look forward to seeing your genins in action next time Hizashi." He gave a signal and he and his students soon disappeared from sight.

"Let's get going." Hizashi ordered, "We're close to the border but I don't like leaving it unattended."

"Hai sensei."

* * *

The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind was a contrary thing. On the Land of Fire's side was near-endless forest, full of vivid flora and healthy fauna, which thinned out the farther away you went from its centre. On the other hand the Land of Wind was a vast desert, rising and falling dunes underneath the harsh sun and the frequent sandstorms, only showing signs of green at its very edges. For two days already Team 7 moved along the border, diligently guarding it in the uncomfortable heat. It was tiring and tedious, Miyu spending most of her time sending out shadow clones to train somewhere away from prying, all-seeing eyes, and Iruka could usually be sneaking peaks into his newest books. Hizashi wasn't too happy either. In the beginning he had though it would be a great change of scenery, but had forgotten how boring it could get.

It was late afternoon on the third day when Miyu was jolted out of the typical border control mindset. Her head ached slightly as she received a sudden influx of memories from her clones, causing her to falter in her step and catch the attention of her teammates. "Are you alright Miyu-chan?" Hizashi asked worried, seeing her face scrunch up in pain before morphing in to shock and then horror.

"We need to get out of here and fast!" Miyu shouted shifting through her information to get an estimate of time.

**_He'll be here in a couple of minutes,_** Kurama answered simply. He wanted to see how this would turn out, if his former container had improved enough since entering the past.

"What is it?" Iruka asked, "An enemy?"

"Yes," Miyu hissed, heading this way quickly.

"Shouldn't we confront him them?" The brunette asked confused. Wasn't that the whole point of border control?

"Not this ninja." She tried to usher her team away but Hizashi seemed to have his own plans.

"Wait, Iruka is right," The Hyuga said tensely with his dojutsu activated, "We have to see what this foreign shinobi wants and if he can be deemed a threat." Their youngest member sighed. She was hoping for an easy mission, but this just complicated it that much more. Though, to be fair, it was her own foolishness that brought on this curious stranger.

**_He's here!_** The fox snarled as his hackles rose in defence, and the rest of the team followed in suit, sliding into cautious defensive stances.

"Found you." A monotonous voice called as a cloaked figure appeared in a swirl of sand in front of them. She wouldn't call his voice emotionless though, since she could hear the underlying irritation. "How interesting." He didn't seem older than fifteen, with brown eyes and short red hair. The rather handsome young teen had a fragile look about him as if he would blow over in a harsh wind, though Miyu certainly knew that wasn't the case.

**_Looks can be deceiving as you have heard many times before._** Kurama intoned wisely. Iruka didn't appear to recognize the older boy though their sensei definitely did.

"Sasori of the Red Sand," The Hyuga named with a hostile glare, "What are you doing here at the borders?"

"A Hyuga? A fox, and a couple of children…" Sasori tilted his head to the side as he examined the team, stopping when his eyes landed on the young girl, "Imagine my surprise when I saw over fifty small children, all identical girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, training out in the harsh desert." Miyu cursed under her breath as Hizashi sent her a glance that foretold the tongue lashing she would receive later.

"You still haven't answered my question," He stated calmly with an edge to his voice, "What are you doing here, shinobi of Sunagakure?" Iruka without knowing the full situation, remained silent, observing the conversation carefully.

"Isn't it obvious?" The redhead answered, "I came to see the child who could create so many shadow clones, more than most jounin, apparently without looking even the slightest bit winded." He never took his piercing gaze of her and she stared back defiantly.

"So now what?" Miyu wanted to be anywhere except near the master puppeteer, "You've seen me, now leave."

"I don't think so. I want to see, what else can you do?" His wanted to test out his puppets, and where better than some interesting enemy nin. Besides, he needed more practice material if 'that' technique was to be completed. He reached into cloak and pulled out a black scroll and held it out for them to see as it unfurled. Written in the centre was a single character, the kanji for crow.

"Iruka, Miyu, the relief team should be on their way," Hizashi stated, moving in front of his students, "Quickly, escape and alert the ninja in command of the situation."

"Sensei…" Iruka was reluctant to leave, his gut feeling telling him to be especially wary of this new character.

"Hizashi-sensei," Miyu cut in, "I think it'd be better for you to leave."

"What are you talking about?!" The Hyuga asked surprised, was she trying to be a hero? He knew, prodigy or not, she would not be able to match up to the experience of a war veteran.

"You'll be faster, a lot faster at getting help. And against Sasori, you're at a disadvantage."

"Disadvantage?" Iruka asked. Hizashi frowned at her words though the puppet user seemed curious as well.

"Please explain." He prompted. She was a genin… right?

"You use puppets," Miyu began scrutinizing the scroll, "I have no idea what poisons or weapons you've rigged them with but it's definitely a bad opponent for a taijutsu expert who relies on close combat fighting."

"And you think you can do better?" He was more than irked that his own student seemed to have some many doubts about his skill, though to be fair she was mostly correct.

"You've heard of my… bloodline, right." She asked. Both of her teammates gave vague nods, accelerated healing if they remembered correctly. "Well, that makes me the best person to act as a decoy." Hizashi, contrary to how he acted, was not as nice as you were led to believe. He was a ninja, a master at the art of deception, and rarely showed his more disliked side. He was convinced only his twin brother knew how harsh he could be, and right now, at the possibility of sacrificing a child, he truly wanted to see her full capabilities.

"Bloodline?" Sasori's curiosity overwhelmed his impatience at the moment.

"Oh, yes," She stared at him with fierce determination, "I am very hard to kill and if you let these two go I'd be happy to show you." He looked between the group for a couple of moments before giving a slight nod. He had already defeated a couple of Hyuga, and unless the boy was also going to claim he had a bloodline as well the red head was content to let him run off, and then when they returned with reinforcements he would kill the rest of them then. Hizashi cursed under his breath. Sasori was like a predator who had chosen his prey and wouldn't be swayed for anything.

"Iruka, find a place to set up _that _seal, you remember how to do it right?" Hizashi asked. In the end neither would escape, instead Hizashi would keep his eye tacked on to the mysterious girl. Iruka gave a curt nod and pulled out a blank scroll as well as sealing equipment. He didn't waste time and quickly began a series of complex strokes. "Miyu, you only have to hold Sasori off until that seal is done," He took up his guard in front of Iruka, "I will keep him protected so keep you attack focused on Sasori. As soon as you are in danger though I won't hesitate to step in." After a month with her new sensei Miyu knew him well enough to know he wouldn't hesitate to switch bodies with her if she got into a troublesome situation. He had given her a rare opportunity to fight and truly test her skills while keeping her team safe.

**_Now, how shall we go about this?_** Kurama asked as she stepped forward.

"Are you done?" Sasori drawled. He didn't feel like waiting any longer.

"Yes, thank you for waiting," She answered, most ninja weren't so…'kind'

**_We have spectators,_** the fox reminded her,**_ do not show all our trumps._** _I will do as much as necessary to keep them safe._ She responded in turn.

"Ku, Restriction level 1 release!" The blonde girl called, as power surged inside her. Hizashi wouldn't have believed it happened if he hadn't seen it. The fox as big as a horse, with two thrashing tails, breathing out a deep cloud of smoke.

"Interesting," Sasori stated with a smirk, "You kept me waiting long enough, Karasu!" The marking on his scroll vanished as a pupped flew out, immediately diving for the girl. The familiar three eyed, four armed, figure taken down by Kurama as the fox pounced. His jaws were alight with fire as he bit down, though he had to retreat before doing any substantial damage due to the now protruding blades on the puppet's body, glistening with unknown poison. Miyu quickly raised a kunai to deflect the poisonous senbon shot at her from the dolls mouth.

"Can you burn it Ku?" The fox smirked, seeing the charred parts of his previous bite.

**_Of course, back me up. _**He pulled his head back, charging up a fiery attack while Miyu formed a couple of quick seals.

"Futon: Daitoppa!" She pushed roughly twice the needed chakra into the mediocre attack, transforming it into a rending gust. Kurama released his own attack, Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu, from what Hizashi could see. The two attacks synched together perfectly creating a deadly wave of flames heading directly at the puppet user.

"Sanshouo." Sasori pulled out a second puppet, the salamander appearing to block the attack with its iron frill. "A fox that can perform jutsu? That would make a wonderful toy." Kurama growled threateningly, watching as the attack was deflected by the puppet's superior defence.

"Kurama, take down its frill," Miyu commanded, "The hinge by its sides are its weak points-" She pulled her Kunai back up and deflected Karasu's bladed arm. A second one came up and she raised another of her won arms, jumping back before the last two could slice her. It was obvious this level of skill wasn't going to get her anywhere other than the grave. She tensed and brought her left hand up into the ram seal "Kai!" The resistance seals on her body glowed, and she already felt a lot lighter. The difference could be clearly seen when Karasu went in for a second attack and she parried each of his limbs before kicking him away.

"But what is a pet without his owner," Sasori pondered aloud. It was either Konoha was training super ninja or this girl was something special, something to be dissected and examined. He upped the ante, adding more chakra treads between him and his puppet, making it faster and its attacks more accurate than the lazy work from before.

"Kuh," His attacks were hitting heavier as well Miyu noted. She glanced to the side to see Ku had almost detached the defensive frill, just a little longer before she could burn the puppets.

"You shouldn't look away from your enemy." The puppeteer informed. She was slightly thankful for his warning and jerked her head to the side, mainly avoiding the giant spike protruding out of Karasu's mouth. It scraped her cheek, and she swiped a kunai against the wound, making sure to bleed any poison out. Sasori watched with fascination as the wound healed over without even a mark in a matter of seconds. He missed how his second puppet finally succumbed to the fox, who crunched straight the enhanced wooden body, the iron frill laying uselessly on the ground.

**_I'm ready, Kit._**

"…" He muttered something inaudible under his breath and the doll swung around fast, catching her abdomen with a hidden scythe in its stomach. Once again Miyu bleed the poison out before he wound healed over. It took slightly longer and Sasori halted in his attack, observing with increased fascination as the significantly larger cut disappeared. "...Perfect."

"Now Ku!" The fox shot off a large flamethrower, verging on white-hot, slamming into the remaining puppets body and sending it to the ground. "Kaze no Yaiba." The blade of wind dug deeply into the puppets body, while the fire burned away the connecting chakra strings. Hizashi watched on amazed. Was this the true skill level of his student?

"Perfect!" Sasori repeated, unaffected by the loss of his tools, "How utterly perfect!" He pulled out a larger red scroll from behind him and Miyu could spot the number of different names written one it. "I have never felt closer to eternal beauty!" The disillusioned teen exclaimed, "A body that never scars, I want it!" Hundreds of chakra strings stretched from his body into the scroll, causing ripples on the parchments surface, "Akahigi: Hyakki no Soen!" Like a scene from a nightmare a hundred red cloak figures rose out of the scroll hanging suspended in the air. She hadn't heard of this except from Sakura who had tried to describe the technique to her. The lifeless, preserved corpses staring blankly at her. She could spot a couple of Uchiha's in the group as well as Hyuga's that must be riling up Hizashi's blood.

"Restriction level 2, release." Kurama didn't question her choice. They would definitely need more fire power. He increased size and additional tail comforted Hizashi slightly. Though the real question was how far the fox could go.

"What about it?" Sasori asked grandly, "Why don't you just submit to me? And I promise I won't damage you too badly." She shook her head. Iruka looked close to finished with his seal. It would just be a little longer. "So be it, I wouldn't mind seeing that wonderful ability again." He simply swung his arm and already half the army was diving towards her. It was impossible to block every attack the trained, older ninja's threw at her, impossible to dodge every jutsu they performed and definitely impossible for her to dispose of any of them. Kurama flung as many as he could away from his partner with a sweep of his tail, biting as many as he could fit in his jaws and slashing as many he could reach. What was worse than a wound covered Miyu, was looking over to see the remaining half of the army swarming her sensei.

"Leave them alone!" She growled ferally, her eyes darkening dangerously.

"Submit!" Sasori answered with a smirk. Soon, one way or another, he would be getting his eternal beauty. Seeking to antagonize her further he sent more puppets towards her team, specifically Iruka, who was trying desperately to focus on the seal. Hizashi was too caught up stopping the majority that it couldn't be helped one slipped through.

"Stop!" Images of the past filled her head as she tore through the small army. Dismembered limbs, blood-soaked grounds, gutted teammates. Kunai embedded themselves in her body. Jutsus burned and tore through her flesh, as she broke out of their suffocating grasp.

"Activate!" Iruka finished just as a heavy sword came down towards him, landing with a sickening sound. His brown eyes widened at the maimed body before him, "M-miyu!" The blade had clearly cut through her right shoulder, undoubtedly smashing through her collar bone.

**_Oi!_** Kurama barked loudly,**_ you're not invincible so stop acting like you are or you'll really die! _**As if to prove his point Miyu coughed out a mouthful of blood, drawing in a shuddering breath, a couple of Kunai sliding out of her limbs and clattering on the ground. Hizashi couldn't do anything but try to prevent any further attackers through, his palms flying out in different directions as he disabled more and more opponents. The human puppet pulled the sword out of her body and prepared for another attack, stopping dead in his tracks as the girl glared up at him with blazing red eyes.

"Amaterasu!" Iruka watched as the black flames consumed the ninja's body, leaving absolutely no trace of behind. The girl staggered, holding her shoulder as a flash of yellow appeared in the midst of battle.

"Miyu?!" She turned to face the voice, instead collapsing onto a panicked Iruka.

**_Rest, kit._** The demon fox said softly, **_you're safe… they're all safe…_**

* * *

**A/N **Thank you for reading.

A hopefully not confusing intro and a decent battle scene (a little cliche? I hope not.) I tried fairly hard to try and show her skill levels compared to a high ranking ninja we all know (and love).

Their henge identities was Hizashi as the stern and strict father. Iruka as Hiro, the well-behaved son and Miyu as Chie, the charming daughter. Fun times.

Once again, a simple C-rank gone askew. And Hizashi wasn't quite the nice guy I made him out to be. He is a ninja who can be cold and calculating at times, yet kind and friendly at others.

Sasori may seem slightly out of character. I aimed to highlight his current obsession (before he decided turning himself into a puppet was a good idea), the whole 'Eternal beauty' thing (which he keeps for most his life). And I thought he would appreciate Miyu's super accelerated healing/no scar ability. He was essentially toying with her the whole way through so, slightly due to her reluctance to use the sharingan and how she couldn't possibly reveal more of Kurama's powers, Miyu wasn't going to win that battle.

And Miyu jumped into the way of a sword...yay. She's going to take a while to heal that... her first mission is over, even though she collapsed at the end, and her Sharingan is revealed.

I wonder who the mysterious flash of yellow is...

Next chapter; hospital recuperation, council meetings, Rin's fate, time skip~ (Nearing the ninetails attack.)

I'm ending the poll next chapter and I'll reveal the amount of votes as well.

As always, please drop a review if you're in the mood, otherwise just stay tuned for the next chapter.


	14. Wake Up and Face The Day

**A/N **And we're back together for another chapter~

POLL RESULTS;  
And the winner is...Kakashi (I'm going to have to change the summary)! Did anyone expect anyone else? Itachi was a very close second and Kurama surprisingly (or maybe not) came third. If your curious about the results the poll has been closed and made visible on my profile.

Meanwhile, did anyone notice Fanfiction's most recent format change? Everything is so different. And I now have the option of adding more characters to the options but who to add... (any opinions?)

This chapter was a bit weird to write and I apologize for the lack of exploding moments. I did have to get it out of the way though, and it outlines how the harem (which will not happen...) would've worked :)

Yet again I'm stumped by Kakashi...how the hell do you write that guy?

And the final question I'll ask you is if you want an extra chapter before the Kyuubi moments begin. I was thinking of either a 7 month time skip up until the end of September, right before the upcoming battle, or I can sneak in a chapter roughly 4 months from now with guaranteed more Kakashi, Itachi, Neji, Miyu and her team, Gai, Kushina and so on (Maybe some other baby members of Konoha 11). I'm fine with either so I'll leave it up to whether of not you guys want to read more slice-of-life-ish moments.

Whelp, you guys can go on with your reading...

* * *

**~Chapter 13 - WAKE UP AND FACE THE DAY**

- - - - - _Dream_ - - - - -

"Please… don't take him away from me! Don't take any more of my family away from me!" The ever-familiar blond with bloodstained hair, trailing freely down her back and war-torn clothes, staggered towards the man she'd come to know as her brother. "Please!" She crouched by his body, noting the tiny shallow breaths, he struggled with.

"Na-ru…?" He turned his jade green eyes towards her, reaching up towards her with a blood covered hand. He had been taken down by a poisoned weapon, though from the way it had torn through his abdomen, it looked like it was going to be fatal regardless of the toxin. He was dying. His hand landed on her cheek, disrupting the steady flow of tears.

"Gaara…" Naru's vision blurred as the tears fell from her face. She couldn't lose him too, she wouldn't! "Just, hang on! Please…Sakura will be here any minute now." The red head blinked slowly. She should know it was hopeless, yet time after time she refused to face reality.

"N-naru," She tried to shush him, seeing as it was paining him to talk but he merely shook his head. "Stop crying… it doesn't suit you," He said slowly, smiling as she tried to furiously wipe away her tears for him.

"Please, stop talking Gaara," Naru pleaded, "Don't strain yourself." He gave a small cough and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. These were his finals words, whether she wished to believe it or not, and he had to say them before his heart gave out.

"Thank you… Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto," He began with small brief stops in between, "For showing me how to love… how it was more than just a word. For healing my heart… and mending the ties between my family. For cherishing me… and becoming my… hope… all of our hope…I entrust you with the future…we all…believe in you."

"Don't entrust me with something that precious!" Naru shouted, tearing up again, "Live! And then we'll protect it together!"

"…I'm getting a bit... tired," The insomniac red head said softly, "I guess I should tell them hello… from Shikamaru…" The light in his eyes quickly began to fade, "Smile, Na-ru…" his arm went limp and his hand fell from her cheek, landing on the ground with a soft thump, as he gazed blankly up at the stormy sky.

"No, no, no, no!" She searched frantically for any sort of pulse, "Gaara, please, answer me!" He stared at her with now lifeless eyes and his rapidly cooling body. "Gaara…AARAHG!" She screamed into the scowl, howling like an animal that had lost a member of its pack. Birds scattered and her voice rang out in the empty field. Her teammates heard her cry and hurried towards her, finding the poor girl trying her hardest to smile as she wept over the body of the Fifth Kazekage.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Miyu started awake, touching her cheek to feel the leftover tears from her dream. Unsurprisingly, it looked like she was back in Konoha's hospital, and very heavily bandaged.

_**Kit,**_ Kurama seemed relieved to know she was awake, _**you've finally awoken. I'll come see you in a moment.**_ He dropped out of the connection, leaving the girl back in solitude. Carefully, she tested each of her limbs, slowly flexing the muscles and checking for any pain. Other than a slight ache from her shoulder, most of her wounds seemed to be healed. Left with nothing to do other than lay there Miyu was swept up in a storm of her own thoughts. She assumed it was the close proximity of Suna which triggered the more recent flashback… or maybe the red of the puppeteer's hair…Sasori, she wondered what happened after she collapsed. Kurama had assured her before she blacked out that her team was safe so that was one less thing to worry about.

"I need to get stronger," Miyu sighed to herself, she didn't want to waste all her precious time in a hospital. The door swung slid open quietly, catching her attention, and a tired looking Iruka walked in with a fresh vase of flowers. He looked up and met her eyes, dropping the ceramic piece in surprise.

"Miyu!" The girl winced at the loud shattering sound.

"It's nice to see your fine." Miyu replied with a small smile. "How have you been?"

"Worried." The boy stepped over the mess and quickly made his way to the bed, "How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need me to call anyone?" He fussed over her like a flustered hen.

"Calm down Iruka, I'm alright-"

"Alright?!" He all but shouted, "You were nearly sliced in two! Do you know how many kunai the doctors pulled out from your body?!"

"But I'm fine now." She reassured. The boy calmed back down and sat in a chair beside her.

"…I was afraid y'know," He admitted quietly, "That Sasori guy was a monster, and it felt as if we were going up against an army of zombies. But most of all I was afraid you weren't going to wake up." She listened to him carefully. At times she had forgotten he was just a nine year old boy, and now she could see that their first real mission was taking a toll on him. "I'll train harder, I'll get stronger, so please don't throw yourself in front of danger like that again," Iruka gritted his teeth, he had never felt more useless than in that moment, watching a small girl take a blow meant for him, "I promise I will get stronger, strong enough to protect myself and my precious people." His resolved mirrored her own and she had no doubt his determination would be just as great.

"We'll get stronger together." She decided, "Hopefully strong enough to stay out of a hospital." They both cracked small smiles.

"Nice to see you're awake." A stern voice called from the doorway.

"Hizashi-sensei." Iruka greeted. The Hyuga walked in with black clothes hanging over his arm and Miyu's hitai-ate.

"I wasn't sure if you were awake, but thankfully you are. Good timing I guess." Their sensei rambled slightly. He put the black clothes on the bed, showing them two be two small kimonos. The blonde recognized them instantly and froze "Both of you get dressed quickly." He said with a small sigh. Iruka nodded, taking his and hopping behind a curtain.

"Who?" She asked softly, tentatively reaching for the soft material. Hizashi gave the small girl a pitying look.

"Nohara Rin."

* * *

A handful of ninja, all dressed in black, stood silently around a coffin. Their heads, bowed in a sign of respect as they mourned their most recent death. On top of the coffin was a small frame which showed the deceased. A young girl with short brown hair and purple markings on her cheeks. There were no tears. It was a solemn and desolate affair. The Hokage had arrived in his own funeral robes, speaking a few words for the girl as he did with all his shinobi. When Hiruzen took the chance to gaze around the small field he spotted the last arrivals. Her certainly did not expect the small girl to be up and about so soon, but was proven wrong as she calmly strode up to the coffin. There were some small whispers and startled looks as the ninja made way for her. She reached the casket and spent a long time staring at the photo before gently placing a small decorative comb on the top.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, "I'm sorry for getting back so late. I'm sorry for not being able to save you." She clenched her fists tightly and bower her head, saying farewell to the girl she had failed to save.

* * *

"Miyu, I'm so glad you're ok." Minato quickly walked up to the girl and swept her into a gentle hug, "Please, don't worry me like that again." Kakashi trailed a bit behind him, the light which he had only just recently regained once again absent from his eyes. He was definitely worse off than before.

"Are you alright Kakashi?" Miyu asked him quietly once Minato released her. He blinked as if only just noticing her, and thought her sentiment was strange.

"I'm…fine." He replied emotionlessly. And he was, compared to the small girl covered in bandages underneath her kimono. His sensei sighed sadly, it was almost as if he had lost all his students.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Miyu turned to see the Hokage beside her teammates and a still enlarged Kurama, "But if possible I would like to borrow some of your time." Minato sighed, it was going to be a long day. The five of them were led towards the Hokage tower, all the while villagers shot the fox wary looks. Honestly one couldn't blame them, the animal had a fearsomely striking appearance similar to the Nine Tails. The journey was silent and uneventful, the group quickly finding themselves inside the Hokage office. "First off," Sarutobi began, "Miyu, could you somehow revert Ku to his smaller size?"

"Of course," She thinned out the chakra flow between her and Kurama, lessening the amount he received and forcing him back into his one tailed form. She hadn't really picked up on the fact she would have to physically cease the flow between them until now.

_**And, I am weak again.**_ The fox grumbled.

"I've got to say that your fox is very intriguing. Am I right in assuming the bigger he gets the more tails he has?" He asked curiously.

"Hai." She answered, shooting the fox a look.

"And how many tails can he reach?" The Hokage pressed.

_**For them, let's go with five. **_The fox suggested.

"Five." Miyu relayed without pause, "He gets pretty big about that time though." He took in her answer and decided to contemplate it more at another time.

"Well, let's move on to the main reason we're all here." He picked up the mission report Hizashi had written up, "Miyu, on you last mission, which was rather unlucky for you to have encountered and battled against an S-rank ninja, have awoken your Sharingan."

"Um, Hokage-sama, sorry to interrupt," Iruka fidgeted as the attention was brought onto him, "Miyu's not an Uchiha so how can she have the Sharingan?" Bothe Hizashi and Kakashi were also wondering the same thing.

"Ahaha, actually," Minato laughed nervously, "I never really told any of you since it seemed so unlikely for it to awaken, but Miyu has a tiny bit of Uchiha blood in her."

"So, pray tell me, why you thought I shouldn't know this crucial bit information about my student." Hizashi asked with a raised brow.

"It slipped my mind?" The Hyuga's stare was quite unnerving but luckily the blonde jounin was saved by the Hokage.

"You will have time to discuss this with Minato later Hizashi, but there is something I wonder if you are aware about. And this concerns both Kakashi and Miyu."

"Is this about the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Hizashi asked. His had seen the eyes of his youngest student through the crowd of zombie ninja. The pattern had been unlike anything he had seen before, vastly different from the tomoe of the normal Sharingan. And of course, as a rival clan of the Uchiha, he knew all about their dojutsu.

"Mangekyo?" Kakashi echoed, he hadn't heard about such a thing yet, even from Obito who boasted about his clan's kekkei genkai.

"The Sharingan actually has two stages of release," Sarutobi proceeded to explain, "First the standard Sharingan, with different levels of mastery indicated by the number of tomoe, and then the Mangekyo. The stimulus for the first stage is merely feeling a powerful emotion whereas the Mangekyo is a bit more specific. It comes from the trauma experienced by the death of someone very close to the user, which usually occurs after witnessing the event first hand." He spoke softly not exactly wanting to upset anyone with his hypothesis. "Miyu, the only way I can fathom you possessing the Mangekyo is by making assumptions. Unless you could of course tell me?"

"Sorry," She shook her head in the negative, feigning ignorance. The Hokage merely hypothesized she had somehow achieved Sharingan at an extremely early age, leading you to reach Mangekyo when your parents were murdered and despite the near impossibility of it, it was all he had.

"When you first arrived here your memories were in a bit of a mess so it may have been supressed, but with the recent battle with Sasori the life or death situation may have reactivated it." Sarutobi turned his attention to the last Hatake, "Kakashi, I assume you understand how you achieved yours, correct."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The boy answered with a pained look.

"Now, the Mangekyo Sharingan is extremely powerful, but it comes at a great cost," Hiruzen warned, "Not only the cost of achieving it there is also the added cost of its power."

"Cost?" Minato asked worried.

"The Mangekyo requires immense amounts of chakra to be able to sustain it, and while the techniques are indeed fearsome, they will slowly deteriorate the uses eye sight they more they rely on the dojutsu." Hiruzen explained.

"So, essentially you're saying that if these two use the Mangekyo Sharingan they will slowly become blind?" Hizashi surmised receiving a nod of confirmation. It was strange how vastly contradicting the two dojutsu of the village were. One supporting taijutsu, the other focusing on genjutsu and ninjutsu. One all seeing, the other resulting in blindness.

"Blind?!" Minato panicked slightly. "Miyu! How many fingers am I holding up?" He had already seen her perform a technique. Would that have affected her sight?

"Two." She answered simply enough.

_**Your eyes would never hinder you.**_ Ku stated in her mind. _**The amount of chakra, with our shared reserves, is of no concern. They have been transplanted thrice, once between brothers and the other with an impeccable technique, and even if that were not the case your healing factor would have slowed the deterioration down tremendously, possibly even stopping it depending on how frequent your use was. It is perfect for someone like you.**_ Miyu wouldn't admit it but the fox's words unsettled her, she had never wanted this cursed dojutsu.

"I have alerted the Uchiha head of your 'awakenings' per se, and they will decide what should be the best plan of action for two outsiders of the clan to manifest the Mangekyo." The Hokage informed, "Kakashi, you received your eye as a gift so likely you won't have to worry too much but for you Miyu, we'll just have to see. Now you are awake I will inform the shinobi council and gather them quickly so we can finally get this fuss over with. If you wouldn't mind waiting one or two hours."

"That's fine with me, I'd like to stretch my legs a little anyway." Miyu replied with a smile. "…Um, how long have I been asleep for?" the way they spoke meant it was probably more than one or two days.

"it's been two weeks since we got back with you unconscious," Hizashi answered, surprising her , "If you don't mind Minato, I'd like to take Miyu to the Hyuga compound and debrief her. I know Kushina is eager to see her but I would rather do it now than later."

"I guess that's alright," Minato gave the small girl a once over, she didn't look like she would just keel over anytime soon even though she was fresh out of the hospital. "She'll get to see her later tonight anyway."

* * *

"So Miyu," She shifted uncomfortably as he hit her with a piercing stare, "Is there anything I should know about?"

_**Even without the Byakugan, Hyuga's can be fearsome.**_ Kurama commented drily. Miyu inwardly complained about her situation.

"What do you want to know?" She asked, wondering if it was even possible to lie to this man.

"Let's start off with the facts first then," Hizashi sighed, "You are intelligent, far passed your years. It's unlikely but not impossible, as Konoha has many of these prodigies. But not only that, you have and aptitude for seals."

"Wha-"

"Did you think you could possibly hide something like that from me?" He was more perceptive than she gave him credit for, something she was starting to regret. "Iruka does not hide his newly developed sealing skills but you do, and frankly I had no idea why, but now I think I've figured it out, or at least part of the reason." Hizashi watched out for any body cues she might give, "You like to keep your abilities secret. I don't know whether it's because you want to have a trump or merely feel uncomfortable with those around you knowing, but you will never elaborate on your skills unless asked specifically. I would bet the small fortune I have that you've even lied to the Hokage about the number of tails your fox has. It's nine isn't it?" Kurama watched him with a sharp gaze, what would this man do with the knowledge he had gained?

"That's-" He cut her off again.

"You're also a very bad liar." Hizashi said with a small smile, "I can understand why you would lie about that though. Nine tails would give a very suspicious image. But at the same time I can't help but wonder what we've got on our hands here. A pseudo-Kyuubi?"

"...More or less." She answered with a sigh. "Will you tell?"

"Not unless I have to, I believe people are allowed to keep their secrets. But I want to understand my team, what exactly I have on my hands." The Hyuga explained giving the girl a small sense of relief.

"I learnt the clone technique from my parents, since I was unable to perform the normal one," She decided to give a half-truth, "When I entered the academy though, it was different to everyone else's. Each of my clones has their own minds and after they're popped I get their memories. I've learned so much by using them."

"So they taught you a B-rank Ninjutsu while you were a toddle?" Hizashi asked in amazement. "Why couldn't you perform the ordinary Bushin?"

"My chakra was too…dense? I always overfill them and they come out wrong." She shrugged, it was a useless jutsu to her anyway.

"Out of curiosity how many could you make?" The Hyuga asked.

"Maybe a couple hundred." She replied once again hedging her answer. He picked up on it and mentally doubled the number.

"I see." Silence reigned as they were both given some food for thought.

_**Someone's coming,**_ Kurama yipped out. Not even a minute after they heard footsteps and a polite knock.

"Hizashi, are you busy? I brought Neji-kun with me," A soft voice called.

"Ah, come in Hitomi." By the lack of honorifics Miyu could tell the two were close. The door to Hizashi's office slid in and Miyu felt her breath catch in her throat. Yet again she was unprepared for a chance meeting. The woman was breathtaking. Long, dark purple hair hung to her waist and framed her face, while her eyes were of the typical Hyuga lavender. She stood elegantly in a purple kimono with a small dark haired child in her arms. A kind disposition, and warm expression, she reminded Miyu of Hinata, a slightly pregnant Hinata.

"Oh, who is this?" Hitomi asked, sending a smile at the young girl.

"This is Namikaze Miyu, one of my students. Miyu this is Hyuga Hitomi, my sister-in-law," So it was Hinata's mother, and the child in her arms… "And my son Neji." The child was small, less than a year old, with a patch of brown hair on his head. He smiled as his name was called, turning and reaching out for his father. Hitomi laughed quietly and handed the child over.

"He seems to always miss you." She turned back towards the doorway, "I have a feeling my husband is calling me so I'll leave early today. It was a pleasure meeting you Miyu-chan."

"Same here Hitomi-san." Miyu smiled, watching the woman's silhouette as she slid the door shut and walked off. While watching her sensei and his child Miyu felt her heart warm at the sight. They both looked so happy and peaceful together.

"Would you like to hold him?" Hizashi asked, seeing the way her eyes were glued to his little Neji.

"Can I?" His answer was to gently place the baby in her arms and she instinctively shifted them in place to support him properly.

"Have you held a baby before?" He asked curiously.

"A couple of times." Miyu replied with unusual sadness. Neji blinked staring into her eyes and giggled lightly, making soft babbling sounds.

"Oh? He likes you." The father commented, "I think he secretly has a thing for most women, especially the pretty ones…maybe a future prediction?" To imagine his student in her later years he used Minato as a template, adding more feminine qualities. To be honest Minato would probably make a great woman…

"I'm sure he'll grow up to be just as pretty." Miyu said with a small laugh. Neji had begun to tug at Kurama's ears after he moved closer to look.

_**Brat,**_ The fox grumbled as the child gripped harder.

"Hizashi-sensei, what happened after I collapsed on that mission, by the way?" Miyu wondered how they managed to get out, "Did I miss anything important?"

"Well, after Iruka activated the special summoning seal Minato created, he was transported via his Hiraishin. He went on a small scale massacre after seeing your state, and killed of nearly all of Sasori's army. Though, when he reached the puppeteer's body it turned out to be a very well made puppet. We don't know when he made the switch or if we were battling against a puppet the whole time but the whole thought is disconcerting."

_**To have been beaten by a mere puppet… We need a lot more training.**_ The fox had taken to waving his tail at the boy and watching him futilely try to catch it.

"Your condition was horrendous, and by all means anyone else would have been dead, but I guess that's were your healing factor kicks in. We were flashed to the hospital by Minato where they immediately placed you in surgery, but there was little they could do with your wounds constantly healing. In the end they set your bones, and flushed out as much poison as they could before leaving you to rest."

"So Sasori is still alive then." She was a bit unnerved by the Suna nin and would rather not face him and his zombies again. She knew he had been toying with her and had no desire to face him seriously.

"Yes, but there are a couple of pluses from that encounter." Hizashi added happily, "For one, we recovered many of our comrades' bodies and were able to give them a proper burial. Among that most Ninja controlled by Sasori had bounties on their head which we were able to pick up. Here," He tossed her a scroll, "That's your share from the ninja your fox took down. I would say I was envious of Minato's share but frankly I'm just going to spend the money on some good quality tea," He sighed just thinking of the possibilities.

"Did anything else happen while I was asleep?" She asked, checking the scroll for its amount. She almost choked in surprise.

_**I think I did pretty well.**_ Ku was definitely proud of himself. It looked like they could splurge on weaponry now.

"More good news," Hizashi stated, "The war is finally over." A smile graced her face. That was marvellous news.

* * *

Miyu was a just a little peeved, looking around the large meeting room with Kurama sleeping on her shoulders. A random Anbu had come to pick her up, subsequently tearing her away from little Neji-chan and disrupting her happy time. And now it looked like she had the joy of sitting… standing around and listening to the council badger on. Even Minato looked bored in his seat, having just gotten through a previous meeting.

"Thank you for coming Miyu," The Hokage greeted with a kind smile.

"I kinda had to didn't I?" She muttered softly. He heard, along with some other members, but chuckled light-heartedly.

"I apologize, really I would have like to give you more time to recuperate." It was easy to tell she was fresh out of the hospital, still clad in the mourning kimono from the funeral. "Now, down to business. For those that do not know, this matter is concerning Miyu and the Uchiha clan." Fugaku looked at her speculatively from his seat, along with some other family heads.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama," The Yamanaka head called, "I was absent during the first meeting due to interrogation duties. May I be filled in on the details?"

"Of course Inoichi," Sarutobi replied, "You have heard of the Mangekyo Sharingan correct?" A small nod, "Well, basically the reason we are gathered here is because Miyu has awoken it." There were a couple of small gasps from those, like Inoichi, who hadn't known.

"And you're absolutely sure that it's the Mangekyo Sharingan and not another dojutsu?" Nara Shikaku asked. He was at the moment pondering if it would be more troublesome here of with his pregnant wife.

"We have witness accounts from her team, plus Namikaze Minato." The Hokage explained.

"I've read the report, and it suggests that it looks slightly different than normal." Miyu looked up to see Hizashi's likeness, except with a much more serious expression.

"You are correct Hiashi, but activating for visible proof may be detrimental to her sight as you should know." Minato replied. "In the first place I've heard no two Mangekyo Sharingans look alike."

"I'm curious as why we're here." The Inuzuka head asked. Like the many other women of Konoha, Tsume was also pregnant. "Won't this just be the same as the Hatake kid before?" She referred back to Kakashi who had left in virtually the same position as he had entered.

"Miyu's situation is a little different." Sarutobi explained, "I don't think any of you, except for Fugaku, had known since Minato never revealed it but Miyu carries Uchiha blood."

"So then this is about clan ownership?" A deep voice asked. Miyu looked up and spotted a shinobi with a high collared jacket and sunglasses. Definitely an Aburame.

"You are correct, Shibi. We will discuss who is to have the last say, which family will bear the responsibility, where she will live and such," The aged leader waved his hand on an ongoing motion.

"So between Minato and Fugaku then?" Hiashi clarified.

"Yes," Miyu yawned a bit listening to them talk, "She is Minato's sister through only a single parent so neither can claim full-blooded ownership. And while there is roughly twice the amount, if not more, of DNA shared between her and Minato, she has awakened the highest stage of Sharingan." There was the small mumbled of talk as they went through the options. Both Minato and Fugaku frowned in their seats, unable to add in the opinions or votes on the concerning matter.

"Ano," A hand tapped her shoulder, catching her attention as she stared into the face of Akimichi Chouza, "Is there a particular place you would rather stay at?" He asked kindly.

"I like Minato-niisan's apartment." She replied with a smile. She wasn't sure how many people had heard her but the Hokage decided that was enough time for them to think.

"Can I gather your votes?"

"Us three vote for Minato." Shikaku announced, "She's already living there so it has pretty much become her home."

"I vote for the Uchiha," Hiashi said with a slight frown, "The Mangekyo is powerful and must be trained properly to avoid any self-harm or instances of friendly fire."

"We second that opinion." Homura spoke for himself and Koharu. Fugaku was unable to vote so he was skipped over and they moved to Tsume.

"I vote for Minato." Tsume decided, "Thanks for the bones by the way, pup." She gave a slightly feral grin and Miyu smiled back.

"I agree with Hiashi, so I also vote for the Uchiha." Shibi said after a short pause. The moved onto the last person who Miyu hadn't realized was there. She held back a growl at the sight of the old war hawk.

"I too go with the Uchiha." Danzo announced, "It would be best if her power was properly trained." Minato made a small sound of disagreement. This meant he would lose.

"Then that means ownership falls to Fugaku," Sarutobi declared.

"Oi, sensei!" They were interrupted by a loud voice, as a new guest entered.

"Ah, Jiraiya, were in a meeting." Sarutobi reprimanded, "Is this important?"

"Do I get to vote as well?" His reputation as a Sannin as well his duties for the village had already earned him a place on the council, but due to his long absences from the village it had been forgotten.

"You do, in fact." The Hokage allowed.

"Then I vote for Minato, he never let me live it down if I allowed his 'precious angel' to fall in that 'Uchiha-teme's evil grasp'." The sage quoted with a blank expression. Fugaku sighed in annoyance and glared at the now content Namikaze, it was always that damned blond.

"Well in that case, there is an even amount of votes," their leader announced, "There will be equal and dual ownership but the last say falls to me. Miyu will take up the Uchiha name and also move around houses now and then to have her Sharingan properly trained."

"Before the meeting ends I'd like to address one last thing." Danzo said leafing through the information the Hokage had provided. "There's mention that she has a bloodline. Accelerated healing? Could we get a bit more details?"

"Of course, you see the bandages she has," The Hokage asked. Each member nodded, it was practically impossible not to see them since. "Minato, when you arrived at the border, could you please elaborate the condition you found her in?" He nodded a little uneasily.

"Right, where to start..." The blond scratched the back of his head remembering the horrifying image, "We'll start with the little things first I guess. From what I could see she had deep gashes, most likely from swords and knives, and when I say deep I mean enough to sever muscles and a few you could actually see bone. There were a couple of bad burns as well, charring bits of her skin, especially her arms."

"And these were the lightest injuries?" Shikaku asked surprised.

"Yeah," Minato was notably serious, "Her body were also littered with kunai and shuriken. Most of them still lodged in her flesh when I saw and a couple seemed to tear all the way through her limbs."

"And the worst wound?" The Uchiha questioned, looking at the child with slight amazement.

"I'd say it was her shoulder wound." He walked over to Miyu and waved his hand from her shoulder to the middle of her torso. "It cut straight through her, smashing through her collarbone and probably the top rib as well. Oh, and we can't forget the poison in her blood stream, more than an adult ninja could survive and all Sasori's special brand." He spat out spitefully. Personally he wanted to wring the redhead's neck.

"You can't be serious," Hiashi muttered. "If that was the case shouldn't she be dead?" This skill practically brought her immortality.

"And that is what makes her healing abilities so amazing." Jiraiya explained, taking over, "If you don't mind, could you unwrap some of the bandages?"

"It's fine." She rolled up her sleeves showing her fully bandaged arms and began to unwrap them. To the council's surprise they were completely unblemished. She even partially unwrapped the bandages around her shoulder showing bits of her torso which was completely intact and unmarred. Minato wouldn't have believed she had been injured if he hadn't seen it himself.

"How? Completely healed and not even a scar." Inoichi commented. She merely shrugged in response. "And within two weeks? That is definitely noteworthy."

"Yes," Danzo agreed, "But I was wondering if the speed of your healing could counteract the downside of the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"It's is possible, with that speed as long as she uses it sparingly." Fugaku answered. She now had two bloodlines which worked together perfectly. The girl was truly a notable kunoichi, a prodigy with high ranked connections and powerful abilities.

"Could we make use of this bloodline then?" Danzo asked speculatively. Kurama had woken up by now and jumped down from Miyu's neck, standing in front of her protectively.

_**Shimura Danzo...I**** remember...** _He didn't take kindly to anyone who meant his partner harm.

"What are suggesting?" Sarutobi gave the man a suspicious look. He knew Danzo meant well, for the village that is, but some of the means he would go to were unspeakable.

"That sort of ability, to survive certain death or to come out of a crippling situation perfectly healthy, don't you think it's crucial for our shinobi," Danzo stated ardently, "It won't clash with any existing bloodlines and certainly lower the death rate-"

"Get to the point." Minato said tensely. He could definitely see the appeal of her bloodline, but hoped the war hawk wouldn't propose something ridiculous.

"I suggest we use her in the future breeding of clans." Danzo summed up.

"What!? No way!" Minato slammed his hand onto the table, creating large cracks in the heavy duty wood. "How screwed up in the head can you be? She's four! She's just a girl and I will not let you whore her out just to provide more resistant ninja!"

"You're being illogical." Danzo snapped at the shouting blond and snarling animal, "Our forces have been depleted after the war so now would be the perfect time to plan ahead for our new forces. Of course we can't use her now since she would have to be of age, maybe in the next ten or so years, when she is old enough."

"Danzo, she is a living person and is entitled to her rights." The Hokage said with a sigh, "We cannot just use her as breeding stock." Miyu praised the kind old man while gauging the reactions of those in the room.

"I am aware of that." The old war hawk replied, "I'm merely suggesting we put her under some restrictions to breed with a couple of the main clans. The Uchiha for example, her bloodline erases the downside of the Mangekyo. Fugaku, I heard about your son Itachi, wouldn't he be the perfect candidate?" The Uchiha head had stayed silent for most part of the meeting but looked troubled as the focus was brought to him. Minato glared at him with cold eyes, daring the man to condemn his sister.

"Theoretically it is a good idea. I dare say she and Itachi are already quite close but," He sighed wearily, "The Mangekyo is a hard thing to achieve. The trauma one has to go through is not something I would wish on anyone, and with the amount of times it has come up in history, her blood is unlikely to help our clan any more than the others." The council seemed surprised Fugaku was discouraging the idea.

"So you want to propose to allow a modified version of the CRA?" Shikaku asked slowly, "Where it would change from the clan restoration act to something like clan enhancing?" Miyu remembered the law from when she had studied to become Hokage. It was almost definite at the time that Sasuke, had he lived, would have likely enacted it.

"Exactly." Danzo answered.

"I wouldn't want to live like that." Miyu decided.

"What did you say?" He turned his focus to her, and she understood she had actually spoken aloud, "This is for the prosperity of Konoha."

"And that makes this alright?" She asked with an icy glare which mirrored Minato's, "My body, among all other things, belongs to me." The fox nodded with her words, "In the first place I know you cannot force an individual of the village into the CRA. It is a choice that I choose to decline." She finished with a snarl, "Don't you dare try to control my life."

"Where did you hear that law from?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"When I was reading through a book in the library I stumbled across Konoha's laws. I didn't want to breach any so I made sure to learn them thoroughly." She never tore her gaze away from Danzo, "I will not willingly hand over my blood but as a shinobi of Konohagakure, I will protect the village with my life.

* * *

Kushina had been mothering Kakashi when she sensed a group of familiar chakra signals and went to open the door for them. She was greeted by an irate Minato, apathetic Miyu, aggravated fox and unusually serious pervert. "Did Fugaku win?" She assumed, though their reactions for it seemed a bit too over the top.

"No," Minato sighed and tried to clear his mind, "We have dual ownership and the Hokage has the final say." Kakashi thought it was strange for the blonde to seem so angry.

"Did something else happen?" He asked curiously.

"It was Danzo." Jiraiya explained. The whole conversation was suited to a place better that the entryway so he ushered everyone back into the living room.

"What exactly did the old coot say?" Kushina asked once they were all seated comfortably.

"He wanted to whore Miyu out." Minato gritted out in a harsh whisper.

"What?!" The woman seemed shocked and appalled.

"More specifically, he thought that Miyu's incredible healing should be shared around the main clan in hopes of producing stronger ninja." Jiraiya explained more carefully.

"But she's only four." The thirteen year old jonin added. How could anyone even suggest such a thing?

"Danzo was prepared to wait ten years." The hermit replied.

"She would still only be fourteen." Kushina shouted with her chakra fluctuating. Miyu had almost died and she was rewarded with this sort of incident?

"Do you think Danzo cares?" Minato asked giving her a straight look, "For a man like him fourteen is old enough to start breeding." His last student looked sickened, imagining his deceased teammate pregnant. It was too young, no matter what anyone thought.

"I should skin him alive for even suggesting something like this." Kushina growled. Her red haired whipped around her, reminiscent of the nine tails she held within.

"It's alright, the little chibi handled it quite well herself." Jiraiya looked proud, "She's brushed up on Konoha's laws and knows that nothing will happen unless she allows it." Despite the reassuring statement it was unspoken that Danzo was never one to follow the rules to begin with.

* * *

Kakashi had taken to visiting the memorial stone for twice as long, his reasoning being that he now had twice as many people to visit. Strangely enough Miyu came with him, and they both just spent the time quietly staring at the many names. Kakashi usually alternated between looking at the stone, his right hand and then the girl. She hadn't once asked how Rin had died and he was in no hurry to tell her. Eventually her fox would pop out of some bushes, at exactly the same time each day, and she would leave for some youthful training. The Hatake would follow along and watch their ridiculous routine before then carrying her back to the apartment for breakfast. It was an odd fact that he now spent more time in his sensei's home than his own due to always being pulled in for meals, not that he was complaining…anymore.

And slowly their relationship changed from sister and student of Namikaze Minato to that of friends.

"Kakashi, what will you be doing today?" Miyu asked the silver haired cyclops.

"Hm, training most likely." He answered as they walked to the Uchiha compound, "I won't be taking any missions for a while."

"Why?" The blonde asked, skipping ahead and then stopping to wait for him. Ku was obviously displeased by her jerky gait, hopping down and walking on his own.

"I might try to get into Anbu." There wasn't much else he could do unless he was content with his current position, "Minato-sensei is one of the Hokage candidates and he's likely to be picked. I think it would still be nice to work directly under him." He explained. The whole village hadn't been surprised when they had heard of Sarutobi's oncoming retirement. Now it was just a choice between the two candidates but for her there was really only one option.

"I don't like Orochimaru," It was considerably difficult for her not to spit out the name, and act civil when she first saw him with Jiraiya. Honestly she was confused on how he had turned out so twisted in the end.

"He does seem a bit off at times." More often than not the snake Sannin smelled like death to him, and not the type that came with their line of work. "Ah, we're here." It seemed the short walk was over to his disappointment. He liked talking to her, she was refreshing and understanding. At times it was nice to just talk, something he hadn't appreciated much before.

"I'll see you at dinner then." And there was the indeclinable invitation. She gave him a light wave before entering the compound for her obligatory training.

* * *

**A/N** Once again thanks for reading.

So a short summary;

A rather depressing dream of Gaara (I love that tanuki~). I wonder who he'll be greeting for Shikamaru...take a guess, you'll find out soon enough...

Miyu wakes up from a two week coma (fun times) and Iruka is well on his way to becoming an intesnse dude. Rin...uh...dies (As bad as it sounds I feel like she needed to die. Miyu won't be able to save everyone).

If you didn't guess it, the souvenirs from Takumi are for Mikoto (Warm blooms), Rin (Comb) and Kushina (White blossoms). It doesn't play a very central part except for Rin's gift.

Kurama has somehow been put to the side for now in favour of the whole Sharingan ordeal and Hizashi is being a shifty yet very insightful shinobi. Miyu ended up fighting Sasori's puppet all along (right now it's like she has all the weapons and tools she needs but has too learn how to adequately harness them).

The war is over Woooh! And we get to see almost born Hinata and baby Neji (who will be a cute little prodigy). Hyuga Hitomi (named after her beautiful eyes, fitting for a Hyuga right?) is Hinata's mother. Her name also starts with a 'H', might as well keep the trend.

And now she also has adequate funds.

In the end her name is upgraded to Namikaze-Uchiha (Fugaku certainly wasn't happy with being second but...), and Danzo proposed a weird version of the CRA (Clan Restoration Act)...or I guess it should be CEA (Clan Enhancing Act). It wasn't passed and most likely wont be but I had to give Danzo something relatively evil to do in this chapter.

Fugaku is being surprisingly aswesome. I seriously don't think he would condone anything that would encourage the Uchiha clan's Curse of Hatred.

Kakashi and Miyu's relatinship is as distant as ever but I swear it'll change...when she's older...which will hopefully be within the next 4-ish chapters...

Well we'll just have to wait and see.

I look forward to reviews. Thanks for reading yet again.


	15. Important Notice

**A/N **Sorry

This doesn't even count as a proper chapter but right now I'm feeling very unsatisfied. I'm currently rushing out chapters and I've passed how much I've planned out. Now my plotline's a mess and my story's iffy.

Sorry to let you know but I've decided to do a rewrite...ahaha...yeah, sorry 'bout that. (Actually if I wanted to several times before but I waited...maybe too long).

It will be quite a bit different. I'll take the good points from this fic and change up the plot, fix the antagonist, make her weaker, make Ku more demon like, show more interactions and actiony scenes... all in all make it better.

I'll show more of her life before so you at least get some KakaNaru before she is reduced to a child.

School Holidays start in a couple of days so give me two weeks and I'll have the new fic up and running.

* * *

**~Chapter 14**

**~7 months later…beginning of October**

A faded red leaf drifted down from the treetops onto and small palm, belonging to a small girl with her arm outstretched. The small hand closed around the leaf crumpling it before letting it fall to the ground.

_**So are you sure of our plan.**_ Kurama asked.

"Yes," Miyu replied, "As long as I can convince 'you' to stop it should be fine. But I wonder what will happen when both Kyuubi no Kitsunes clash with one another. You told me before that two of the same people cannot exist at the same time."

_**I'm not sure,**_ it was strange to hear the fox sound so worried, _**currently, due to Namikaze's sealing method, I am but the Yang half of my former self. I am incomplete so theoretically there should be no problem but…**_

"I see." She was sure it would result in his death, or non-existence to be exact.

_**So what happens if this plan of yours fails? What is the back-up?**_ He asked.

"If I cannot stop 'you' then I will perform to sealing." She said with resolve, "I will offer my life to the Shinigami and seal this timeline's Kyuubi into the baby that will be born. That child will grow up with a strong mother, a father that will rule righteously and a demon fox to guide him. It is more than I had and hopefully it will be enough. Of course, if I offer my soul you'll have to come with me." She rubbed the back of her head and offered the fox a sheepish grin.

_**I had resolved to follow you till the end of your short life. It will be sooner than I expected but I am content.**_ Kurama stated softly, _**besides you'll probably need company inside his stomach, it must be pretty boring don't you think?**_

"I wonder if he's nice." She contemplated, "The Shinigami I mean."

_**I hope we don't need to find out, but I don't think he could be too bad.**_ He answered.

* * *

**A/N **Sorry again.

I'll be as quick as possible getting the rewrite done but at the same time I want to do this properly...maybe I'll find myself a beta-reader...any offers?


	16. Revamped

**A/N** Hi again!

It's been a little over two weeks and the rewrite is in full swing.

I've finished the prologue and the first few chapters and I guess the best way to describe it is 'Same-same but a little bit different'...

:D

There are parts exactly the same as the original and there are bits I've changed and some which are completely new. I just hope you all like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I've posted a link to the full (It's in four parts) prologue at the end of this chapter so if you want just scroll down and click~

Well, let's see if I do better this time round :)

* * *

**~Prologue – IN WHICH THE TWO MEET**

**October 10****th**** – 5****th**** anniversary of Kyuubi no Yoko's defeat... Naruto aged 5.**

"Is it really ok for me to have this?" A young girl with two blonde pigtails asked. In her hands was a candied apple which shone a sparkling red in the festival lights. She held it tentatively in front of her, eyeing it warily yet hungrily.

"Of course!" The giver responded. He was just an average villager whose stall she had come across. The blonde had been caught staring at his wares so of course he offered a sweet treat to the small child. "Go ahead, I promise you it's delicious." He smiled but she felt something wrong. Naru quickly shook her head, shaking out the suspicious thoughts.

_He's was kind enough to give it to me so I shouldn't be rude._She thought to herself, _plus this looks really delicious!_ She sniffed the apple, smelling nothing but the saccharide, sugary sweetness that covered it, and took a bite. The candy melted in her mouth and the apple within was still fresh and crunchy. Still, she couldn't understand why it felt so wrong.

"It's delicious." She complimented making the man smile.

"Good, why don't you eat more? If you finish it I'll give you another." The girl wolfed down the first apple, not noticing as the festival goers seemed to stop what they were doing to watch. "Here." The vendor handed her another apple which finished just as fast.

"Thanks Ojisan!" Naru chirped, "But why are you giving me all of these?" She asked as he handed her a third apple.

"Honestly? I just wanted to see how many you could eat…" His response confused her as much as the sneer afterwards unsettled her. All of a sudden the young girl was very aware of the gazes staring her down as a strange buzzing filled her head. She dropped the half-eaten candied apple in her hands as she felt the energy leave her body, forcing her to kneel as her limbs soon became too weak to hold her up. From the corner of her vision she saw a black blur dash out but it was hard to distinguish who it was as her eyes refused to focus.

"What did you do to her?" A dog masked Anbu growled out, choking the man as he roughly grabbed his neck and held him up in the air.

"I-I didn't do shit!" The vendor managed to spit it, "The demon brat ate it of its own free will!" The Anbu cursed under his breath and flung the man to the side, sending him through the weak, wooden walls of his own stall.

"Tenzo, escort him to Ibiki and the alert Hokage-sama, I'll take Naru to the hospital." A second Anbu jumped down from the roof and threw the now unconscious perpetrator over his shoulder. Tenzo gave a small nod of acknowledgment to his leader before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. The remaining Anbu scanned the area with disgust, concealed by the Konoha standardized mask. "What the hell are you all looking at?" He barked at the watching crowd, "Disperse." The civilians were quick to follows his order, scrambling to get away before they also garnered a session with the famed torturer.

"Inu?" Naru asked weakly as the Anbu came to crouch beside her.

"Don't you remember what Hokage-sama always tells you? You should never take candy from a stranger, you silly child." He hid his worry under exasperation.

"Sorry…I for-got." Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and it was hard to talk. Her senses dulled and she could no longer see anything but a haze nor hear anything except for a strange buzz. The only thing she didn't expect was the excruciating pain that came after the frightening numbing.

"Naru…Naru!" She stopped responding and her eyes glazed over before she let out an agonizing scream.

- - - - - _Mindscape_ - - - - -

…drip…drip…drip

"Urhg?" The girl groaned and waited for her senses to return. The air smelt of stagnant water, and she was lying in some sort of cool liquid. A constant dripping echoed around the area and as her blue eyes began to refocus she was greeted with darkness. "…Where am I?" She pushed herself up and out of what she hoped was water before pressing forward in the direction of a red glow. The closer she got the more the red light bathed her surroundings, revealing the sides of the tunnel she seemed to be in. Her eyes fixed onto an opening in front of her and her pace quickened slightly only to falter as she reached a dead end marked by large jail-like bars. There were big enough for her to easily fit through the gap but whatever was behind it gave off a foreboding feeling. She turned her body back the way she came only to see her only exit sealed off by a wall, as if it had never existed. "No way," She dashed back to feel for any cracks or openings, "But it was just there! I don't like it here! Let me out dammit!" the girl pounded her small fist against the wall futilely.

**_"Shut up, you pitiful human."_** A deep voice resonated around the room and she quickly tried to find the source.

"Who the hell are you!?" The girl shouted at the giant cage, "And where am I?"

**_"Insolent runt,"_** the voice growled,**_ "What a dim, little, thing you are."_**

"Huh? Stop making fun of me," Her fear of being in the unknown was translated into anger towards the mocking stranger, "I dare you to say it again."

**_"Of course, come closer and I will spell it out right in front of you."_** Unwisely, she did take a few brave steps forward when a large, red, clawed hand shot out.

"Gah!" She stumbled back, falling back into the water. "What the hell was that for?!"

**_"Was it not obvious?"_** A monstrous, fox-like face pressed itself against the edge of the bars,**_ "I was hoping to kill you."_**

"Ahh!" The five-year old trembled and pointed a shaky finger at the beast, "What kind of monster are you?!"

**_"Monster?"_** The giant fox scoffed,**_ "I am a much greater being than you could possibly imagine. I am the great Kyuubi no Kitsune."_** The fox smirked showing off its rows of sharp teeth.

"The…Kyuubi?" The world around her shook as the girl tried to comprehend the knowledge or come up with any other possibilities. The walls collapsed began to collapse inwards and the floor below her feet crumbled sending her falling down into the darkness but all she could think of were the demonic red eyes of the most fearsome beast in history.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

"So what happened?" The Hokage asked wearily as he seated himself next to the unconscious girl on the hospital bed.

"Poison," The dog masked Anbu replied tensely, "A civilian male somehow acquired one of Fire country's worst toxin from god knows where and disguised it with sugar. He came up to Naru during the festival offered them to her. She managed to get through two and a half of the laced apples before she collapsed."

"And where is he now?" He didn't like to think his people were capable of hospitalizing a child but at the same time he understood the flaws of the human race all too well.

"Tenzo took him to Ibiki." The Anbu honestly thought the civilian deserved every moment of torture for having ever dared to hurt his charge. "We'll have the name of his supplier within a matter of moments.

"Good." The Hokage nodded approvingly.

"…Jiji?" The patient slowly awoke from her restorative sleep.

"Ah, Naru-chan, you're awake." Sarutobi smiled as he spoke to her in a soft, grandfatherly tone.

"Jiji, what happened?" Naru looked around, blanching at the white of Konoha's hospital. Her body still felt a little stiff and her mind disoriented as she tried to piece together what had happened.

"You were poisoned." He said with a stern look, "Didn't I tell you to be careful of strangers?"

"B-but," She looked a picture of sadness as her eyes began to water, "I thought he might have remembered that it was my birthday…"

"Naru," He gave her a pitying look, "I'm sorry I couldn't spend the day with you like I promised but-"

"You were busy." She finished for him, "I understand. Being Hokage is a tough job for an old man like you. But don't worry, you just have to hang on a little longer before I take that hat and you can live in peaceful retirement!" The Anbu was amused with the amount of…affectionate disrespect she showed and how fast the girl rebounded from the sad moment.

"I look forward to it." The current Hokage responded with a smile. "I might have not been able to stay with you today but I did get you a gift."

"Really!" She bounced excitedly on the bed, "What is it?!"

"Here," She was handed a rather heavy box filled neatly with kunai and shuriken.

"Wow! Thanks Jiji!" She looked at them with anticipation, "I'll be taking that hat sooner than I thought." Sarutobi chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"That's not all," He continued "Inu here has kindly volunteered to help you with any of you training. Just promise me you won't go off on your own."

"I promise. And thank you Inu-san!" Naru shot the Anbu a wide smile which earned her a hair ruffle.

"No problem." The Anbu replied.

"Well, I better get back to my paperwork," The Hokage sighed as he stood slowly, "Is there anything else you need Naru-chan?"

"Oh!" She seemed to have remembered an important fact, "The Yondaime! Did he really kill the Kyuubi? All by himself?" She asked innocently not noticing how the other occupants of the room seemed to stiffen.

"Well he wasn't all by himself," Sarutobi began bit by bit, "He had the whole village with him and a boss of the toad summons, but yes he did defeat the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering," She answered simply, "If I want to surpass him I'll have to get that much stronger then!" The old man pushed any suspicions out of his mind.

"Indeed. Work hard." He said before exiting the room. Inu continued to stand by the bedside, obviously keeping a very tight guard, but his silence allowed her time to think.

_Jiji wouldn't lie to me…_

It was later that week that Naru went to the library to search up the definition of defeat.

* * *

**2 years after – Academy graduation day... Naruto age 7.**

"How much further?" A rather ordinary man asked, huffing slightly and adjusting the sack over his shoulder.

"We're here." One of his companions answered, leading him towards a cliff face. The other stayed behind silently, watching with a look of glee on his face.

"Thank god, I was starting to get a bit worn out." He dropped the sac onto the ground and began pulling it over the edge with his friends helping to speed up the process.

"After the rain today the Naka River is looking particularly violent." His companion said, peering over the edge to see the violent currents.

"Perfect." The previously silent man commented, giving the sack a harsh kick that finally sent it over the edge.

"It's done. Let's get back, my wife was planning a celebratory dinner tonight," He led the other man back in the direction of Konoha.

"Oh? Did your son graduate too? Congrats." The three walked backed happily, with small amounts of chatter passing between them.

* * *

Falling from edge of the cliff the bonds around the sack loosened, and its contents fell out. Blonde hair which fluttered in the wind, rocks bound to the small limbs and the glint of metal before it was all lost in the white water.

- - - - - _Mindscape_ - - - - -

"Here again…" Naru muttered as she found herself back in that sewer-like place. Once again there was only one way to go, but with the knowledge of what awaited her she hesitated. But maybe, she thought, maybe she would figure out the secret that seemed to revolve around her. With that purpose in mind she strode confidently up to the familiar cavern held the nine tailed beast.

**_"Back again?"_** The Kyuubi made no attempt to hide himself, showing his furred face right from the start. Naru made sure she was well out his reach, her eyes never straying from the cunning fox.

"Kyuubi." She greeted, with a nod.

**_"Good, at least you remembered."_** He liked the respect he received though wished there was a bit more fear in her eyes.

"Where are we?" She asked, "And if you really are the Kyuubi why aren't you dead?" The fox scoffed at her, his tails swishing in agitation.

**_"Dead? You speak as if you mortals ever had a chance to kill me. Do not think so highly of your weak little selves. As for where we are, are you so stupid that you do not know?"_**

"Tell me." Naru growled out. It was bad enough that she was in an unknown place. The fact that she had a cynical monster with her just made it worse.

**_"You dare order me?!"_** His claw show forward, slashing the area dangerously close to her,**_ "I see it is not only your ignorance which knows no bounds but your impertinence as well!"_**

"I just want to know where the hell I am and why the hell you're not dead!" The girl shouted as she lost whatever composure she had. The Kyuubi sat back on his haunches and sent her a mocking smile.

**_"Why should I tell you, runt?"_**

"Because!" She shouted at him. He merely ignored her, deciding his time was better spent asleep._ Bastard fox,_ she thought, slightly surprised it sounded so loud.

**_"Do not insult me human runt."_** The Kyuubi growled.

"How did you hear that?" Naru questioned. _Didn't I think it?_

**_"Shut up and go away."_** He responded. **_"It is hard to sleep when you are being so loud."_**

_YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK!_

**_"SILENCE!"_** The fox roared. This time Naru completely ignored him, sitting on the floor cross-legged with a thoughtful expression across her face. Memories flitted past and it was more than once that she could remember villagers muttering 'demon' as she passed. The fact that the fox could hear her thoughts only added to her suspicions and growing sense of dread.

**_"So you finally understand."_** The fox stated, watching the human child that was his jailor.

"But it can't be!" She denied, "No way! How is it even possible?"

**_"Oh, you humans are known for making the impossible happen, especially in dire situations."_** He gave her a calculative look. **_"It is written in your history books is it not? You had better thank your precious Yondaime."_** Naru felt her world tear a little. To think that the man she admired and looked up to the most had done something like this to her. It was incomprehensible.

**_"I was not lying when I said to be thankful,"_** the fox continued,**_ "In fact why don't you stretch that gratitude to myself? After all without me you would be dead countless times already."_**

"If he hadn't done something like that I wouldn't have been put in those situations!" The blonde exclaimed. In the large gap in her memories, from graduating to Iruka's promise of ramen, it was easy to assume she had been attacked again. Which meant right now, she was most likely dying, again.

**_"You really are stupid, for someone like you to be my container…what a disappointment."_** She bristled as the words hit her particularly deep. She wasn't a disappointment. She was going to make her precious people proud.

"…Do you know why? Why the Fourth chose me?" She asked, unusually sedate.

**_"I do not share the same mindset as you foolish beings, therefore, I can only speculate."_** He answered, being rather civil.

"Then, why do you think he chose me?" Naru reworded the question.

**_"… I'll make a trade with you,"_** the fox offered,**_ "Anything I know as long as you remove this tag."_** A lone tail swept out of the cage and directed her attention to a small slip of paper. The girl vaguely recognized the design as the same one that appeared on her stomach whenever she accessed her chakra.

"What happens if I remove it?" She questioned. The fox stayed silent and it was all the answer she needed. As much as her curiosity burned she wouldn't risk a questionable deal.

**_"Are you fine with not knowing?"_** The fox probed. It was obvious she wasn't but she would do.

"I'll ask Jiji." Naru huffed.

**_"And how will he respond?"_** His face loomed closer as he spoke, "**_The same Jiji that hid my existence from you?"_** She faltered.

"I'll have to ask and see his answer myself then!" The blonde exclaimed.

- - - - - _Reality_ - - - - -

Her second awakening was rather abrupt, and she could feel a painful burning in her lungs. Instinctively she coughed, vomiting out a decent amount of water.

"Are you alright?" The asker was an older teen with onyx eyes, and black hair tied in a low ponytail. Despite his young age he was dressed in the customary, Konoha-issued Anbu gear with his mask hanging by his waist.

"Yes," She shivered slightly as the wind swept past her drenched body, "Thank you for saving me, Weasel-san." It was strange to actually see his face for once. She was sure if he didn't have his mask she wouldn't be able to recognize him by his looks. Of course his voice, no matter how little he spoke, was something she would be able to pick out due to the unique calming tenor.

"It's fine." He returned his mask to its usual position and gently picked her up, providing a small amount of bodily warmth. "I'll take you to the hospital." He continued, "Do you remember what happened?"

"No," She felt the back of her head, wincing at a particularly tender spot, "I must have been knocked out."

"I see."

* * *

"Jiji!" Naru skipped into the Hokage office, showing no effects of the previous life-endangering situation.

"Ah, Naru-chan," Sarutobi sighed in relief, "It's good to see you're doing well."

"Mmhm! Plus, look!" She held up her headband for him to see, "I graduated as rookie of the year and Iruka promised that he'd buy me ramen tomorrow…as much as I want too."

"Congratulations." The old Hokage smiled but wavered slightly at the end, "But Weasel told me you got into a bit of trouble before. He found you sinking into the Naka River with stones tied to you. You swallowed a lot of water and stopped breathing so he had to perform CPR. We've already found the perpetrators and decided they would be perfect for Ibiki's apprentice to practice on. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, really. But CPR?" The girl tilted her head to the side, "What's that?

"It stands for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation." She knew that word wouldn't stay in her head for long, "Don't you remember studying it in the academy?" Naru shook her head, she was most likely asleep that day.

"Nope."

"Basically it's used to save drowning people by forcing air into their lungs and pushing down on their chest to get there heart beating." He explained.

"Oh! Mouth-to-mouth." She remembered. "Wait…mouth-to-mouth…?" He nodded and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. _I feel like a total girl,_ she thought as the meaning came to mind,_ I hope I get over this soon._

"Are you ok?" The Hokage asked seeing the girl's face redden. He thought it could've been a fever but soon began chuckling at the real reason. "I think Fugaku should be proud of having such a strong and handsome ninja as his son." He commented slyly.

"Jiji, stop it." Naru whined, "It's embarrassing."

"Ah, my little Naru's growing up." He said wistfully. It was a very familial moment shared between them that brought out a peaceful atmosphere, yet that in itself gave her time to think as she dragged her thoughts to a more imperative topic.

"Ne," She began slowly, "You promised never to lie to me right Jiji."

"Of course," He replied, taking note of her change in demeanour, "Is there something you want to ask?"

"Do I… do I have the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed into me." She looked up to see shock all over his face. She was never one for hedging but maybe she needed more tact when discussing matters like this.

"How-" He sighed, suddenly appearing much older, "Yes."

"So it's true." She murmured under her breath. Though, it was good that he was keeping to his word.

"May I ask how you found out?" He asked seriously, wondering if he would have to order an execution anytime soon.

"I met him." Naru replied.

"You met him?" Sarutobi repeated. He had full trust in the previous Hokage's sealing abilities but if by a small chance the Kyuubi got out there would be hell to pay. "How?"

"Well, when I was…dying I entered…my mind? And he was just sitting there, in a big cage." She explained rather badly.

"Did he say anything?" Sarutobi asked slightly worried. Maybe he should get Inoichi to check the girl.

"He insulted me." She began, "And then I figured out that the Yondaime sealed him into me but, I don't know why? Jiji, why did he have to choose me?" Her tone became pleading and she pinned her surrogate grandfather with a hurt filled stare, "Why didn't you tell me I had the Kyuubi?"

"You were too young, and you still are." He replied with a sigh, "I didn't want you to know until you were sixteen or at least a chuunin."

"That's a long time." She noted, more than twice her current age.

"With knowledge comes responsibility." He quoted, "I wanted you to be able to handle it but you're doing quite well at the moment."

"He hasn't done anything terribly bad to me so far," Naru stated, "He just seems grumpy all the time but I guess I would be too if I was caged up and sealed away… I think compared to Kyuubi who I know is evil and the people that threw me into the river, who could have been anyone on the street, I'm more afraid of them." The Hokage stayed silent, he understood where she was getting at but the knowledge did nothing to reassure him. "So why did the Yondaime choose me?" She reiterated.

"I-...I can't tell you, not yet." Sarutobi answered, "I made a promise that I would wait until you reach chuunin level."

"A promise?" She understood it was bad to break them so she wouldn't pressure him too hard, "To who?"

"Your parents." He replied.

"My parents?" The topic was a new area for her. "Did you know them Jiji?"

"Of course," He said with a smile, "I know every ninja inside this village. But-"

"I can't know who they are?" She guessed. He nodded with a minute smile.

"I promise, when you are older." He assured, "But, if you happen to figure out who your parents are or why the Yondaime chose you beforehand…well, then I wouldn't exactly be breaking my promise. The hints are all there for you. You're a smart girl Naru-chan, if you want to know you'll be able to find your answer." She remained slightly unconvinced but realized in the end it was all a matter of time.

"And if I can't figure it by the time I'm chuunin you'll tell me anyway?" He nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll have to do my best then." She gave him a soft smile, "I think I'll head off to the library."

"I'll have Tenzo escort you." As he spoke a lone Anbu appeared beside her.

"Thanks." She gave Sarutobi a small wave before dashing out of the door, Anbu in tow.

"Inu," Sarutobi called as he addressed the second hidden Anbu.

"Hokage-sama." The grey haired Anbu answered

"I heard that you'll be resigning from Anbu in the next few days," The Hokage leant back in his chair, lighting his pipe, "If that's case I have the perfect mission for you."

* * *

**A/N **It's different... but I like it better and I hope you, as the readers, do as well.

** s/9225520/1/Tender-Sea-Revamped**


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